Department for Transport

Electric Scooters

Sarah Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department will use to assess the electric scooter pilot projects; and if the pilot is successful whether privately owned electric scooters will be legally allowed on UK roads.

Rachel Maclean: The Department is preparing a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan to gather evidence from the trials. This will assess the safety risks presented by e-scooters, the mode shift to e-scooters from other forms of transport, public perceptions around their use and identify other impacts that should be considered for any potential future legalisation of e-scooters. From the evidence gathered during trials, the responses to the Future of Transport regulatory review call for evidence and other research, the Government will consider whether to legalise both rental and privately-owned e-scooters.

Cycling: Coronavirus

Simon Baynes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department is providing to local authorities to increase the amount of road space provided for cycling.

Chris Heaton-Harris: On 9 May, the Secretary of State launched the new Emergency Active Travel Fund making £225 million available to local authorities in England this year. Any funding on top of the Department for Transport’s current budgets will have Barnett Consequentials applied in the usual way for Wales. This funding is designed to help authorities increase provision for walking and cycling during the period of social distancing restrictions. This fund represents the first stage of a £2 billion investment in walking and cycling. This is the largest ever boost for active travel, and will deliver transformational change.

Restoring Your Railway Fund

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what projects received funding from the Restoring Your Railway Fund.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The ten bidders for the first round of the Ideas Fund who have been successful in their application for funding to enable them to progress their proposals towards developing a business case, have been published on GOV.UK and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/re-opening-beeching-era-lines-and-stations/re-opening-beeching-era-lines-and-stations The second round closed on 19 June and we received 50 bids which are listed in the link above.

M5: Accidents

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the frequency of serious accidents that close at least one lane in both directions from Junction 6 to Junction 4a of the M5 (i) before and (ii) since the M5 smart motorway was introduced.

Rachel Maclean: The J4a-6 M5 smart motorway scheme started construction in January 2016 and was opened for traffic in May 2017. The table below contains the number of reported traffic collisions reported by Highways England for this stretch of road, where a lane closure has been implemented: Calendar YearNo. of recorded Traffic Collisions with a lane closure201597201693201712120182072019136 The Department’s review of the safety of Smart Motorways across England, published in March 2020, showed that overall, the evidence shows that in most ways, smart motorways are as safe as, or safer than, the conventional ones. But not in every way. To ensure we are doing all we can do to improve safety, a package of 18 measures were published in March. This will allow us to retain the benefits of smart motorways while addressing the concerns that have been identified.

Buses: Electric Vehicles

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the roll-out of electric buses in (a) Colne Valley (b) Kirklees and (c) West Yorkshire.

Rachel Maclean: Through the Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (ULEBS), West Yorkshire Combined Authority (which includes both Colne Valley and Kirklees) and First West Yorkshire received £617,000.00 for 5 electric buses and charging infrastructure and £1,770,472.50 for 9 electric buses and charging infrastructure respectively, totalling £2,387,472.50.

Buses: Electric Vehicles

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many electric buses are operating in (a) Colne Valley constituency, (b) Kirklees and (c) West Yorkshire.

Rachel Maclean: We do not hold information on how many buses are operating in a particular area, but we can provide the number of buses & coaches registered in West Yorkshire according to the location of the recorded keeper of each vehicle. The following table relates to where these vehicles are registered by their keeper, which does not mean they are operated in these areas, nor does it stop other buses & coaches registered elsewhere from operating in these areas.   Table: Registered battery electric buses & coaches at the end of March 2020AreaLicensed for use on the roadStatutory Off Road Notification (SORN)Colne Valley constituency01Kirklees11West Yorkshire244

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) financial viability and (b) risk assessments his Department has undertaken on major HS2 Ltd contractors on Phase 1 of High Speed Two following (a) Carillion going into administration and (b) the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stephenson: a) HS2 Ltd’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) function undertakes daily financial and capacity risk monitoring for all HS2 critical & strategic economic operators and their parent organisations during tendering and throughout contract delivery, at a Tier 1 and Tier 2 level. In addition, SCM receive daily alerts in relation to financial risks associated with critical suppliers and have aligned their processes and assessment criteria with Cabinet Office guidance. b) All of the Phase 1 Joint Ventures that have received a Notice to Proceed are joint and severally liable for their contractual requirements and therefore provide mitigation to any financial risk that materialises. Also, each of the Economic Operators were required to provide a Parent Company Guarantee from a parent of sufficient financial standing. Both Economic Operators and Parent Companies have had their financial standing tested and scrutinized during both procurement and then again at the point of award for their contracts. Since the point of award, HS2 Ltd have continuously monitored financial stress indicators, which are updated on a daily basis according to predetermined alert parameters: a) Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak HS2 Ltd had in place regular monitoring for all major contractors. b) Following the COVID-19 outbreak an HS2 Supplier Relief Working Group has been established and a supplier monitoring report is reviewed at least weekly to highlight suppliers at risk and initiate plans required to support the supplier and ensure continuity of supply. HS2 Ltd is a member of the Department for Transport (DfT) Strategic Supplier Working Group. Both before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, this Working Group has monitored strategic and critical suppliers in conjunction with DfT and Cabinet Office and taken coordinated action where appropriate.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Buckinghamshire

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what quantity of water will be required for the Phase 1 High Speed Two tunnelling in Buckinghamshire; from what location that water will come; how that water will be (i) used, (ii) processed and (iii) disposed of; what assessment he has made of the (A) level and (B) type of  contaminants in that water after use; what processes will be used to remove those contaminants; and what steps he is taking to prevent the contamination of local aquifers in that area.

Andrew Stephenson: The quantity of water required to operate the two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) for the Chilterns Tunnels is currently calculated to be 6.5 mega-litres per day on average over a 36 month period. It is intended that the water will be supplied from Affinity Water and Thames Water sources. The water will be used to convert the chalk material to a slurry, for flushing and cooling of slurry pumps and for TBM cleaning operations. The slurry will be treated in an on-site slurry treatment plant that will recover and reuse water to reduce the demand for fresh water. There will be instances where water reuse will not be possible and, after on-site treatment, this water will be discharged. The design of the water treatment plant and attenuation ponds has taken the likely water quality into account. Any discharge will be managed and regulated under the terms of a consent from the Environment Agency, which will take into account the quality of the water being discharged. HS2 Ltd has been working closely with experts from the Environment Agency and the relevant water companies for a number of years to prevent construction work from causing contamination of the chalk aquifer and to safeguard the provision of public water supplies.

Buses: Exhaust Emissions

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2020 to Question 64815 on Department for Transport: Coronavirus, how the £5 billion package for zero emission buses will be invested; and what the timeframe is for the 4,000 new zero emission buses to be in service.

Rachel Maclean: The £5 billion package for buses and cycling is more important than ever as we put a green recovery for transport at the heart of our decision-making. Full details of a zero-emission bus programme, including how the funding will be distributed, are being developed and will be announced in due course.

Railways: Waste Disposal

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains and what proportion of operators continue to release human waste and effluent on tracks in England and Wales.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The following franchised train operators have varying quantities of trains that are not fitted with controlled emission toilets (CET): Chiltern, CrossCountry, EMR, GWR, Greater Anglia, Northern, WMT and Transport for Wales. Other operators, such as charter and heritage, for which the Department is not responsible for also operate trains that are not fitted with CET equipment. Out of a national fleet of over 14,000 carriages there are approximately 350 that still discharge waste to the track and all of these will be refurbished or replaced.

Railways: Waste Disposal

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated annual volume is of human waste and effluent released on rail tracks in England and Wales.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department has not made an estimate of how much human waste and effluent is released on to the tracks. As the number of trains that are not fitted with controlled-emission toilets are replaced by new or refurbished rolling stock, there will be a corresponding and significant reduction of waste released.

Northern Trains: Waste Disposal

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the class 142s and class 144s being reintroduced on the  Southport-Manchester/Alderley Edge routes will release human waste and effluent on the tracks.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Class 142/144s are currently only intended for use as a contingency measure to add capacity for distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no expectation that any of the Class 142 or Class 144 units will be fitted with controlled-emission toilets due to their impending replacement.

Railways: Waste Disposal

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timeline is for ending the practice of dumping human waste and effluent on tracks, by (a) route and (b) franchise.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The timeline for ending the practice of toilets discharging to the tracks will be driven by the introduction of new rolling stock and the major refurbishment of existing rolling stock. By the end of this year it is estimated that a small number of vehicles will still discharge to the track.

Bus Services: Coronavirus

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which body is responsible for enforcing the wearing of face masks on buses; and what powers of enforcement that body has.

Rachel Maclean: We have worked with the police, operators, and trade unions to agree a six-stage approach to ensuring compliance. Operators will be responsible for the first five stages (Engage, Explain, Encourage, Enable use, and Entry/Exit restrictions). Enforcement by the police or TfL authorised personnel will be the last resort if a passenger fails to comply at other stages. Our initial approach to enforcement has been to focus on communications to encourage compliance. Operators (and the police) have new powers to deny access to a service, to direct someone to wear a face covering, or direct someone to leave a service if they are not wearing a face covering. Operators have discretion over whether they choose to use these powers; they do not have an obligation to do so. If passengers fail to comply, as a last resort the Police and TfL authorised personnel have a power to issue a fixed penalty notice of £100 under the PHA Regulations, reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days. The police also have the power to remove passengers from vehicles and use reasonable for if necessary to do so, as well as the power to direct an individual who has responsibility for a child aged 11 or over to ensure that the child complies with the regulations.

Public Transport: Coronavirus

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to issue badges or passes to people who have received a letter from the NHS exempting them from wearing a face mask on public transport.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We do not plan to issue badges or passes to show that people are exempt from the requirement to wear a face covering on public transport in England.  Several operators have badge or lanyard schemes in place that can help people communicate that they are exempt. These are intended to be tools to give people more confidence when engaging with transport staff. However, badges or similar are not obligatory and it is sufficient for people to communicate with transport operator staff that they are exempt. We have been working closely with operators to make sure they are communicating this approach to their passengers and staff (Guidance can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-transport-guidance-for-operators/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-transport-guidance-for-operators#face-coverings).

Pedestrians: Coronavirus

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what process his Department uses to monitor the effect of changes to streets to support social distancing on disabled pedestrians who are dependent on (a) tactile paving, (b) controlled crossings and (c) detectable kerbs.

Rachel Maclean: It is for local traffic authorities to decide what measures to install to enable social distancing, and active travel, and to monitor and evaluate these. In implementing measures, local traffic authorities must be mindful of the requirements of equalities legislation, ensuring, for example, that in redesigning and reallocating road space they take careful account of the impacts this may have on disabled people.

Aviation: Coronavirus

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the level of compliance by airlines with article 8 of EC Regulation 261/2004, that requires those companies to provide a full refund to passengers booked on cancelled flights within seven days if requested.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Civil Aviation Authority are responsible for enforcing European Regulation 261/2004, and have been clear that airlines should not systematically deny consumers their right to a refund. On 1 July 2020 the Civil Aviation Authority provided an update on its website about its review into the refund policies of airlines during the coronavirus pandemic. They are reviewing the refund policies of all UK airlines, as well as a number of international airlines that operate flights to and from the UK. The review is considering how airlines are handling refunds for flight-only bookings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Electric Scooters: Visual Impairment

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has carried out an impact assessment on the effects of the easing of restrictions on the use of e-scooters on blind people.

Rachel Maclean: The Department has carried out a preliminary assessment of the impacts of e-scooters on blind people. We recognise that people with disabilities, in particular blind or visually-impaired people, may be more affected by some of the negative impacts of e-scooter use. However, there is limited evidence available. Trials have been designed to enable us to gather robust evidence of the impact of e-scooters on all road users. We have attempted to minimise the impacts on pedestrians during trials, for example by not allowing e-scooter use on pavements and asking local areas to consider in their trial plans ways to avoid scooters creating an obstruction when not in use.

Rail Review: Costs

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse is of the Williams Rail Review.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Williams Rail Review is funded from the Department for Transport’s existing budget. Neither Keith Williams nor the members of the Expert Challenge Panel are being paid.

Rail Review

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons findings and recommendations of the Williams Rail Review have not yet been published.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department remains committed to delivering wholescale reform of the rail sector to put the priorities of passengers first. The Williams Rail Review was in the final stages of drafting at the outbreak of COVID-19. The Government views the purpose of the reforms as important as ever, but further work needs to be done now to reflect the impact of COVID-19 on the sector. We are progressing with this work.

Public Transport: Concessions

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his oral contribution of 2 July 2020, Official Report, column 513, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a public consultation on proposed changes to free travel to educational establishments for 16 to 18 year olds in London.

Rachel Maclean: The £1.6 billion Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement to enable Transport for London (TfL) to continue operating services contained a series of conditions to facilitate safe travel on public transport in London, including the temporary suspension of free travel for under 18s. The Department is working closely with TfL, the Department for Education and London Councils on how the temporary suspension can be operationalised, including the nature of any consultation with key stakeholders.

Bus Services: Greater London

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential reduction in demand on London buses that may result from removing free travel from under 18s in London.

Rachel Maclean: The £1.6 billion Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement to enable Transport for London (TfL) to continue operating services contained a series of conditions to facilitate safe travel on public transport in London, including the temporary suspension of free bus travel for under 18s. The temporary suspension of free travel is necessary to ensure that there is capacity available on public transport for key workers and those who need to use it to support the critical restart of the economy, given reduced capacity as a result of social distancing measures. Before the Covid-19 crisis, around a third of journeys between 8-9am were made by young people travelling to school. The Department is also working closely with TfL and the Department for Education to look at a range of additional measures to help manage demand for bus travel to and from school. These include considering staggered start times, using coaches and promoting active travel.

Transport: Schools

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the criteria is for eligibility for free school travel for children in London.

Rachel Maclean: The £1.6 billion Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement to enable Transport for London (TfL) to continue operating services contained a series of conditions to facilitate safe travel on public transport in London, including the temporary suspension of free travel for under 18s. The Department is working closely with TfL and the Department for Education on how the temporary suspension can be operationalised. Any child eligible for free home to school travel under the Education Act 1996 will still receive this. The Department is also completing an Equality Impact Assessment, which will consider whether there are further categories of children that should receive free transport.

Fines: Protective Clothing

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fines have been issued to passengers on public transport for travelling without a face covering; and whether his Department has collated data on the ethnicity of people issued with those fines.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Our initial approach to enforcement of face coverings on public transport in England has been to encourage compliance through communications. Operators, police, BTP and TFL continue to engage passengers on this new regulation. As at 6 July BTP has issued 20 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for Face Covering Regulations on the rail and underground networks. To date TfL has not issued any penalty notices, and the National Police Chiefs’ Council is due to report its figures on FPNs shortly. In the coming weeks we will be working with TfL, BTP and the police to monitor breakdown of ethnicity of those issued with penalty notices.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Research: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government to protect UK research jobs with major support package, published on 27 June 2020, whether universities seeking access to replacement funding for research as a result of the decrease in international students can access both the announced (a) grants and (b) loans.

Amanda Solloway: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 29 June 2020 that informed the House of Commons of a support package to sustain research capacity and capability which might otherwise be impacted by Covid-19. From the Autumn, the Government will demonstrate its commitment to research by providing a package of support to research-active universities, consisting of low-interest loans with long pay-back periods, supplemented by a small amount of government grants. In sharing responsibility for the future of science and research with our world-leading university system the government will cover up to 80% of a university’s income losses from international students for the academic year 20/21, up to the value of non-publicly funded research activity in that university. Further details of the package, including the loan and grant arrangements, will be announced in due course.

Space Technology

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to publish its National Space Strategy.

Amanda Solloway: The UK’s space sector can strengthen our national capabilities, create high-skilled jobs and drive future economic growth across the UK. In order to support this, the Queen’s Speech on 19 December set out the Government’s intent to establish a new National Space Council and launch a comprehensive UK Space Strategy. The Council, chaired by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, will consider its strategy in due course.

OneWeb: Investment

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the (a) business case and (b) risk assessment for the decision to invest in OneWeb.

Amanda Solloway: OneWeb holds a position as a global leader in Low Earth Orbit technology. This investment secures that leading position and signals the Government’s ambition for the UK to be a pioneer in high-tech satellite technology. Due diligence has shown that the investment is going to be commercially sound and is likely to make an economic return. Our investment provides a stable platform for OneWeb’s development and unlocks a range of future commercial and strategic opportunities for the UK.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what advantages the Government envisages the OneWeb low earth orbiting satellite system will have for navigation over continued use of the Galileo system.

Amanda Solloway: The UK will not seek to access Galileo as we will not be able to assure its services for use in defence and critical national infrastructure.The current OneWeb satellites are used to deliver satellite communications services, and we are actively considering what other capabilities OneWeb could provide.Dedicated work is ongoing across Government to determine the UK’s positioning, navigation, and timing requirements, and to assess options for meeting them.OneWeb holds a position since 2012 in the UK and U.S. of developing cutting-edge satellite technology from its bases both here in the UK and in the United States. It holds a global leadership position in Low Earth Orbit technology.The move of acquiring Oneweb signals the government’s ambition for the UK to be a pioneer in the research, development, manufacturing, and exploitation of novel satellite technologies through the ownership of a fleet of Low Earth orbit satellites.

Personal Care Services: Coronavirus

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when tattoo parlours will be permitted to reopen as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Paul Scully: Hairdressers and barbers in England were able to reopen from 4 July to offer hairdressing services. Other close contact services, like tattoo parlours, remain closed until further notice. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister, in his speech on 3rd July, stated that a timetable for the reopening of these closed sectors would be set out this week. We appreciate that this is difficult for some businesses. Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence, remembering that the more we open up the more vigilant we will need to be.

Personal Care Services: Coronavirus

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when nail parlous will be permitted to reopen as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Paul Scully: Hairdressers and barbers in England were able to reopen from 4 July to offer hairdressing services. Other close contact services, like nail parlours, remain closed until further notice. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister, in his speech on 3rd July, stated that a timetable for the reopening of these closed sectors would be set out this week. We appreciate that this is difficult for some businesses. Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence, remembering that the more we open up the more vigilant we will need to be.

Personal Care Services: Coronavirus

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to review the date for the re-opening of (a) beauty salons and (b) beauticians’ services as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Paul Scully: Hairdressers and barbers in England were able to reopen from 4 July to offer hairdressing services. Other close contact services, like beauty salons and beauticians’ services, remain closed until further notice. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister, in his speech on 3rd July, stated that a timetable for the reopening of these closed sectors would be set out this week. We appreciate that this is difficult for some businesses. Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence, remembering that the more we open up the more vigilant we will need to be.

Personal Care Services: Coronavirus

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the evidential basis is for permitting the reopening of hairdressers but not beauty salons and nail bars as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Paul Scully: Hairdressers and barbers in England were able to reopen from 4 July to offer hairdressing services. Other close contact services, like beauty salons, remain closed until further notice. The Ministerial Taskforces have been getting scientific input from Public Health England (PHE), who have been directly involved in the taskforce meetings, helping to resolve scientific issues as they draft the guidance. This guidance has been drawn up alongside businesses, business representative organisations, trade unions, and the Health and Safety Executive, taking into account the latest scientific and medical advice. We appreciate that this is difficult for some businesses. Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence, remembering that the more we open up the more vigilant we will need to be. The Government is working with the remaining closed services to establish a timeline for when they can reopen safely.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions officials of his Department have had with representatives from employer organisations on recent changes in advice to clinically extremely vulnerable people who are shielding with (a) arthritis and (b) other conditions.

Paul Scully: Officials regularly meet with representatives from employer bodies and discussions have included recent changes in the advice to the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable. More generally, BEIS leads for Government on the Safer Working Guidance. This sets out the steps employers can take to ensure that the workplace is secure for everyone. This guidance is updated as necessary following changes in public health advice. Individuals and organisations, including those with interest in specific conditions such as arthritis, are able to comment on the guidance through safer.workplaces@beis.gov.uk.

Meat: Coronavirus

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what impact assessment on workers in the meat industry the Government undertook of the effects of reducing the two metre social distancing rule.

Paul Scully: The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has convened a cross-Government taskforce, and all partners are working collaboratively in that group. The Health and Safety Executive - who are also a member of the Taskforce are responsible for the health and safety of workers.

Business: Coronavirus

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plan he has to hold discussions with (a) employers and (b) employees on their (i) concerns and (ii) ideas on (A) recovery and (B) support for businesses as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Paul Scully: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has heard the views of individuals from large businesses, entrepreneurial companies, venture capitalists, trade bodies, academia and the third sector in a series of recent meetings. These were organised around five themes: green recovery; increasing opportunity; backing new businesses; the future of industry; and the UK open for business. This is part of an intensive programme of engagement to inform the Government’s approach to economic recovery. The department will continue to engage with stakeholders across all sectors as it works towards a clean, resilient recovery, shaping recovery and business support policy to reflect the needs of employers and employees.

Companies: Registration

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the response to the consultation on Corporate Transparency and Register Reform that closed in August 2019.

Paul Scully: The Government is currently considering a broad package of reforms to Companies House to ensure it is fit for the future and continues to contribute to the UK’s business environment. This would amount to the most significant reform of the UK’s company registration framework since a companies register was first introduced in 1844, and it is important, therefore, to take the time to get it right. The consultation received a significant number of responses and an official government response with detailed proposals for the way forward will be published in due course.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Australia and Canada

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what conversations he has had with his (a) Australian and (b) Canadian counterparts on the merger the of the Department for International Development with his Department.

James Duddridge: We will learn from the examples of Australia and Canada, who run generous and respected development programmes from their foreign ministries. There are lessons we can draw from the experiences of other countries, but ultimately we will do this in a way that works best for the UK.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Departmental Responsibilities

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he will take to ensure the Disability Inclusion Strategy and Strategic Vision for Gender Equality frameworks are embedded and implemented in the work of the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Wendy Morton: Advancing gender equality and women's rights are a core part of this Government's mission, and vital to fulfilling every girl's right to 12 years of quality education. This government is committed to supporting a long-term movement for change on the neglected global issue of disability inclusion. The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to these agendas.The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy is expected to conclude later in the year, and will define the Government's ambition for the UK's role in the world. The Integrated Review's outcomes will shape the objectives of the FCDO. Both the Review and the merger are evidence of the Prime Minister's commitment to a unified British foreign and development policy that will maximise our influence around the world, including on disability and gender equality.As part of the merger discussions, we will review, refresh, and build on all existing strategies, as well as developing new approaches where appropriate. We do not see the core ambitions of the Department For International Department's Strategic Vision for Gender Equality or Disability Inclusion Strategy changing. The challenges for the advancement of girls' education, sexual and reproductive health and rights, women's political empowerment, women's economic empowerment, ending violence against women and girls, and supporting people with disabilities are as acute now, if not more so, as when the strategy was published in 2018.

Uighurs: Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to use the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund to trace missing family members of the Uighur community on a similar basis to that previously used in Syria.

Nigel Adams: The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund does not operate in China. The Government nevertheless remains committed to promoting the human rights of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. On 30 June, the UK read out a statement on behalf of 27 countries at the 44th session of the UN Human Rights Council highlighting concerns about arbitrary detention, widespread surveillance and restrictions in Xinjiang. On 9 March, the Foreign Secretary raised the same concerns with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi.

Chechnya: LGBT People

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of risk for LGBT people in Chechnya.

Wendy Morton: We remain deeply concerned about the continuing persecution of LGBT people in Chechnya. Persecution for being LGBT, anywhere in the world, is abhorrent. As we state in our Travel Advice, there are credible reports of arrest, torture and extrajudicial killing of LGBT people in Chechnya.In December 2018 the UK was one of 16 countries to invoke the OSCE's Moscow Mechanism, requiring an independent OSCE investigation. The OSCE Moscow Mechanism's independent 2018 report confirmed allegations of serious human rights violations in Chechnya against LGBT people and other groups including unlawful detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings. We continue to urge Russia to implement the recommendations made in the Moscow Mechanism report and to end the climate of impunity for human rights abusers in Chechnya.We continue to raise our concerns about the persecution of LGBT people in Chechnya with the Russian Government at all levels. On 17 June 2020, I raised this with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Titov.

Middle East

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the historical accuracy of Government references to the 1949 Armistice Line between (a) Israel, (b) Egypt, (c) Jordan, (d) Lebanon and (e) Syria as the 1967 borders.

James Cleverly: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Baltic States: Coronavirus

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a travel corridor between the UK and (a) Latvia and (b) other Baltic States as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Wendy Morton: A list of countries and territories from which passengers arriving in England will no longer have to self-isolate for 14 days was published on 3 July. This follows the Government's first review of public health measures at the border, which were introduced in June 2020. The Government has always been clear that any decisions on border measures will be proportionate and science-led.We are continuing to engage with all partners on all aspects of the global response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

India: Coronavirus

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals have been detained in India under Coronavirus laws in that country.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

India: Coronavirus

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what consular contact his Department has provided to UK nationals in India detained under Coronavirus laws in that country.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

India: Coronavirus

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the safe return of UK citizens in India who have been detained under coronavirus laws in that country.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Northern Ireland Office

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Simon Hoare: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to consult (a) the new Government of the Republic of Ireland, (b) victims groups and (c) individuals on the proposals set out in his Written Statement of 18 March 2020 WS168 on Addressing Northern Ireland Legacy Issues.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK Government remains committed to making progress on legacy issues, and engaging with the Irish Government, the Northern Ireland parties and victims groups on the way forward, as quickly as possible. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland recognises the importance of working with all parts of the community in Northern Ireland as part of this process.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Simon Hoare: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he had the Government of the Republic of Ireland prior to the publication of his Written Statement of 18 March 2020 WS168 on Addressing Northern Ireland Legacy Issues.

Mr Robin Walker: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland spoke to the Irish Government and all party leaders before the Government’s Written Ministerial Statement was published on 18 March. Engagement has also taken place with the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland parties since 18 March.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Simon Hoare: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which (a) victims groups and (b) individuals he has consulted since the publication of his Written Statement of 18 March 2020 WS168 on Addressing Northern Ireland Legacy Issues.

Mr Robin Walker: I refer the hon Gentleman to the answer I gave on 8 July 2020 (UIN 68732).

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the statement of 26 June 2020 from the Minister of Health in Northern Ireland that decisions remain to be taken on the commissioning of abortion services in NI’s health service. Commissioning is a significant process that will require a public consultation. It will clearly be matter for the Executive and Assembly as well as the Department, and pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2020 to Question 66853 on Abortion: Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to fulfil his obligation under section 9 of the Northern Ireland Formation Act 2019 to ensure that the recommendations in paragraphs 85 and 86 of the CEDAW report are implemented.

Mr Robin Walker: In accordance with section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2019, regulations are now in place to make provision for accessing abortions in Northern Ireland. These regulations implement several of the recommendations in paragraphs 85 and 86 of the CEDAW report. The Government response to the consultation sets out how the Government is ensuring implementation of all of the recommendations that remain outstanding. We will continue to work closely with the relevant Northern Ireland departments, where relevant, in continuing to progress this work over the coming months.

Department of Health and Social Care

Protective Clothing: Contracts

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the organisations and companies which received contracts from the Government to deliver personal protective equipment during the covid-19 outbreak; and on what date each contract was entered into.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 11 May 2020



We've contracted with over 175 new suppliers able to deliver at the scale and pace the UK requires. Lord Deighton, formerly Chief Executive of London 2012 Olympics, has been appointed to lead on our domestic efforts to increase the supply of PPE. The Department has now signed contracts for over 2 billion items of PPE through UK-based manufacturers, including facemasks, visors, gowns and aprons, ensuring we build and maintain a domestic base for the future. Procurement Regulations require the publication of Contract Award Notices, containing information on the final agreed value of the contract, in the Official Journal of the European Union and we publish certain information on Contracts Finder about contracts awarded.

Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to protect people from BAME backgrounds who have been identified as being in an at-risk group during the covid-19 outbreak; whether lockdown restrictions will be amended for those at-risk groups of people; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on amending lockdown restrictions for those at-risk groups of the Public Health England report, Disparities on the risk and outcomes of covid-19, published on 2 June 2020.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 11 June 2020



We have all been struck by the conclusions of Public Health England’s report and will continue to help protect those most vulnerable to COVID-19 based on the best possible analysis available to us. We are determined to get to the bottom of the report’s findings in a proper and scientific way and have already asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities, (Kemi Badenoch MP), to take forward work to fill the gaps in our understanding, review existing policies and guidance and amend or develop new policies where needed and where the evidence supports us doing so. The Terms of Reference for that work can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-for-work-on-covid-19-disparities-announced

Public Health: Expenditure

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the correlation between reductions in local authority ring-fenced public health budgets in each year since 2012 and high levels of covid-19 infection and mortality in those areas.

Jo Churchill: We have not made a specific assessment of the correlation between local authority public health budgets and levels of COVID-19 infections and mortality. The local authority public heath grant was introduced in 2013. Changes in grant allocations from 2015-19 were implemented pro rata. The public health grant has been increased in real terms in 2020/21. As part of the response to Covid-19, the government has announced that it is making a further £3.2 billion available to councils to help support their efforts to keep communities as safe as possible.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Coronavirus

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether public health spending on (a) sexual health services, (b) women’s health services and (c) contraception will be protected (i) during and (ii) after the covid-19 pandemic.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 15 June 2020



In 2020/21 the total public health grant to local authorities is £3.279 billion. The grant is ring-fenced for use on public health functions, including sexual health services and contraception.

Pneumonia: Coronavirus

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of NICE’s COVID-19 rapid guideline for managing suspected or confirmed pneumonia in the community, published in May 2020, on clinician preference to (a) choose the right treatment to meet specific patient circumstances and (b) allow for local antimicrobial prescribing preferences.

Jo Churchill: NHS England and NHS Improvement commissioned rapid guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on managing suspected or confirmed pneumonia in the community, which was published on 3 April 2020 and then rapidly disseminated as part of the response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Whilst the Department has not assessed the effect of the guidance on clinicians’ preference to choose the most appropriate treatment or to allow for local antimicrobial prescribing preferences, NICE guidance is not mandatory and is used in conjunction with existing professional guidance and clinical standards.Furthermore, as new guidance is published, NICE initiates daily surveillance of intelligence to identify evidence on the effectiveness and impact of the guidance. Where necessary, a rapid update process is used, and amended guidance is re-published on the NICE website. The guidance for managing suspected or confirmed pneumonia in the community has been updated three times to reflect new evidence.

Overseas Aid

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he last met with the Secretary of State for International Development to discuss Official Development Assistance spending.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 18 June 2020



The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has many discussions with the Secretary of State for International Development in conducting his Ministerial duties.

Parkinson's Disease: Drugs

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that medications for Parkinson's disease are (a) available during the covid-19 outbreak and (b) at the end of the transition period.

Jo Churchill: As part of our concerted national efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue doing everything we can to ensure patients continue to have access to safe and effective medicines, including those used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.The Department has well-established procedures to deal with medicine shortages and is working closely with industry, the National Health Service and others in the supply chain to reduce the likelihood of future shortages resulting from COVID-19 or any other cause.The Government, pharmaceutical industry and NHS will always work closely together to help ensure patients have access to the medicines and treatments they need under all scenarios including those medicines used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

General Practitioners: Ethnic Groups

Stephen  Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that BAME communities are able to access GP services during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 24 June 2020



Racial disparities in the health of the nation are unacceptable. Following the publication of the report by Public Health England ‘Beyond the data: Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups’ recently, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP) is urgently reviewing the findings.The way in which people can access general practice services during the COVID-19 has changed; practices are offering more triage and remote consultations (video and online) to see as many patients as possible while protecting staff and patients.

Dexamethasone: Procurement

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what amount of dexamethasone (a) has been ordered in 2020 and (b) purchased in each of the last five years.

Jo Churchill: The information is not available in the format requested.The Government has taken action to secure supply of dexamethasone in the United Kingdom, buying additional stocks ahead of time in the event of a positive trial outcome. These stocks have been procured centrally in addition to the business as usual stocks purchased regularly by National Health Service organisations. There is enough treatment for over 200,000 people from this stockpile alone.The NHS Business Services Authority publishes Prescription Cost Analysis data covering prescriptions dispensed in the community in England at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/prescription-data/dispensing-data/prescription-cost-analysis-pca-dataData for calendar years 2015-2019, and January to March 2020 is currently available.

Hepatitis: Public Health

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of including hepatitis C in the Public Health England Public Health Outcomes Framework.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 25 June 2020



During 2018/19 Public Health England undertook a review of all the indicators within the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF). A consultation on the proposed changes to the PHOF ran between 21 January 2019 to 22 February 2019. The response to this consultation informed the final changes to the indicators within the PHOF. The results of the consultation are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/public-health-outcomes-framework-proposed-changes-2019-to-2020The PHOF is due for review every three years and hepatitis C, along with other policy areas, could be considered during the next refresh.

Hepatitis: Health Services

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people commenced treatment for hepatitis C in the financial year 2019-20, by operational delivery network area.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 25 June 2020



Public Health England publishes information on the numbers of individuals accessing hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment in their annual hepatitis C reports. Data for the 2019-20 financial year for England are not yet available. The latest available data for 2018/19 financial year show that 11,756 people were reported to have accessed HCV treatment in England that year. The 2018/19 data can be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hepatitis-c-in-the-uk Treatment data by operational delivery network area are available for the 2016/17 and 2017/18 financial years in the Hepatitis C Operation Deliver Network Profile Tool available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hepatitis-c-commissioning-template-for-estimating-disease-prevalence

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many oncology combination therapies have been assessed by NICE via the Single Technology Appraisal process; how many of those received a positive recommendation for routine NHS commissioning; and how many have been made available through the cancer drugs fund, over the last five years.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 25 June 2020



Since April 2015, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has appraised 53 different cancer combinations. 21 are recommended; eight are optimised. 4 are recommended for use in the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF); six are optimised for use in the CDF. 6 are not recommended. 12 appraisals were terminated as NICE did not receive a submission from the company.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NICE will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the cost-effectiveness thresholds for new combination therapies as part of the NICE methods review; and if he can provide an update on the progress of that review.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 25 June 2020



The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will not make an assessment of their cost-effectiveness thresholds for new combination therapies as part of its methods review. As per paragraph 3.20 of the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access, the standard cost effectiveness threshold used by NICE will be retained at the current range (£20,000 - £30,000 per quality adjusted life year), and will remain unchanged for the duration of the Voluntary Scheme which will come to an end on 31 December 2023.NICE is aiming for a six-week public consultation on the case for change to methods and processes in autumn this year, a second consultation presenting the draft programme manual in spring 2021 and implementation of the changes as quickly as possible afterwards.

Tobacco

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for his Department to undertake a review of tobacco legislation after the transition period; and what the terms of reference for that review will cover.

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his planned review of tobacco legislation after the transition period will be based on the harm reduction principle of regulating products according to individual risk to health.

Jo Churchill: The Government has a legal commitment to undertake a Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the Tobacco and Related Product Regulations 2016 and The Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015 by May 2021. A response to the PIRs on tobacco legislation from 2010-2016 will be published later this year.The Government is committed to achieving a smokefree England by 2030. Plans to achieve this will be set out at a later date. We will continue to monitor the evidence base on the latest developments in the reduced risk products market, including e-cigarettes, to assess their risks and evidence to help smokers quit smoking.

NHS: Ethnic Groups

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of conducting the NHS Health Check on Black, Asian and minority ethnic NHS staff at age 25.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 29 June 2020



Public Health England (PHE) has not made a specific assessment of the benefit of conducting NHS Health Checks amongst National Health Service staff.PHE has published and advocates the use of a health equity audit tool and local data to inform local commissioning decisions in support of prioritising groups most likely to benefit from a check.PHE guidance advocates that checks are delivered in a way that prioritises resources and effort to inviting and engaging those who are most likely to be at higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). National research shows greater take up of NHS Health Checks among deprived and minority ethnic groups at high risk of CVD. It can be accessed at the following link:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/1/e008840Local authorities are legally required to make NHS Health Check provision for all eligible people aged 40 -74 but can also choose to extend the programme to a younger population.PHE has been commissioned by the Department to deliver an evidence-based review of the NHS Health Check programme to inform action which will ensure it remains fit for purpose for the next 10 years and beyond.

Department of Health and Social Care: Overseas Aid

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department allocates Official Development Assistance to any programmes that are targeted at supporting women and girls.

Jo Churchill: To address the most pressing global health challenges, the Department is delivering Official Development Assistance programmes which hugely benefit women and girls, both directly and indirectly.

Cholesterol: Screening

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on the NHS Long Term Plan to ensure that nurses and pharmacists play an active role in the management of cholesterol.

Jo Churchill: NHS England and NHS Improvement have invested £9 million in an atrial fibrillation programme to test optimal care models and the role of the wider general practice workforce including practice pharmacists and nurses.The learning from this programme will be included in the development of the Primary Care Network cardiovascular disease prevention direct enhanced service specification and rolled out in 2021-22 to include patients with high cholesterol. This work will also support the NHS Long Term Plan ambition to improve identification of familial hypercholesterolaemia from 7% to 25%.

Influenza: Vaccination

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the influenza vaccine for winter 2020-21 is administered in a covid-19 safe environment.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 29 June 2020



The flu vaccination programme will be a critical part of preparing the United Kingdom for winter and as part of our planning should we see co-circulation of flu and COVID-19 and we are working with National Health Service and Public Health England colleagues on the delivery of the 2020/21 seasonal flu vaccination programme. Operational plans for flu include consideration of the social distancing requirements for vulnerable people, the workforce and providers. Standard operating procedures for healthcare services and guidance on immunisation during COVID-19 have been issued to providers. On 14 May we published the Annual Flu letter 2020/21, available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/885281/The_national_flu_immunisation_programme_2020_to_2021.pdf We will be publishing a further letter providing more detailed information on the flu programme ahead of the flu season.

Health Professions: Sick Pay

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) practice nurses and (b) healthcare assistants working in general practice who have been paid Statutory Sick Pay whilst they have been self-isolating with covid-19 symptoms.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 02 July 2020



No formal assessment has been made of the number of practice nurses and healthcare assistants working in general practice who have been paid Statutory Sick Pay. NHS England and NHS Improvement have committed to maintain general practitioner (GP) practice income during the outbreak. Therefore, they have advised that GP practice staff who are shielding because they are at the highest clinical risk from COVID-19 should continue to receive full pay. Staff within GP practices should also be encouraged and supported to work remotely where they are able to do so.

Coronavirus: Screening

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the average waiting time for the result from a home testing kits for covid-19 in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Laboratories

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the average time taken for results to be returned from covid-19 tests conducted at Lighthouse Labs.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Social Distancing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June to Question 56054 on Coronavirus: disease control, what evidence the Government is using to reduce social distancing from two metres to one metre plus.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Multiple Sclerosis: Medical Treatments

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ask the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to review the evidence behind its initial decision to reject siponimod for routine use to treat active secondary multiple sclerosis.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Protective Clothing

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that dentists are supplied with appropriate personal protective equipment.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of covid-19 home tests have not been returned by post (a) within seven days of being dispatched to a person’s home and (b) in total.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Israel

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on that country’s development of a passive vaccine treatment for covid-19 using convalescent plasma.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letters of 29 April 2020, 7 May 2020 and 18 June 2020 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay on Ms Valerie Utting.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Stephen  Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many antibody tests have been provided to care homes (a) nationally, (b) in Hampshire and (c) in Portsmouth South constituency.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans are in place to restock personal protective equipment stockpiles before the end of 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many contacts were traced by the NHS covid-19 contact tracing app during the trial of that app on the Isle of Wight.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Clinical Trials: Standards

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) clinical trials and (b) market authorisations from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency comply with European Medicines Agency standards in order to obtain approval for use in the EU market.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Health Services

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when each stage of the Your Covid Recovery service will be made accessible; and if he will make statement.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Health Services

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Your Covid Recovery service is accessible to all those who need it.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the article in the British Medical Journal entitled, Covid-19: Timing is critical for antibody tests, published on 25th June 2020, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Government's antibody testing strategy.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how data in relation to the (a) gender, (b) age, (c) ethnicity and (d) location of a person's antibody test result is (i) collected (ii), distributed and (iii) analysed.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Deloitte: Coronavirus

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2020 to Question 48980 on Deloitte, if he will set out the total sum of monies paid by his Department to Deloitte for each month of 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he has issued to NHS trusts on enabling partners to attend (a) scans, (b) hospital appointments and (b) the birth of a child during the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS trusts are now enabling partners to attend (a) scans, (b) hospital appointments and (c) the birth of a child as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Randox Laboratories: Coronavirus

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department's contract with Randox Laboratories requires the notification to Public Health England of positive covid-19 tests in line with the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010; and how many positive covid-19 tests were notified by that company under those regulations in each month in 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Development

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Staff

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that expert staff from her Department are retained when that Department is merged with Foreign and Commonwealth of Office.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Merging the departments will bring together the best of what we do in aid and diplomacy, and create new opportunities for staff. The ambition, vision and expertise of DFID staff will be at the heart of the new department – taking forward the work of UK aid, which will remain central to our mission. There will be no compulsory redundancies and we will work closely with staff throughout the process of implementing the merger. Any changes to team structures or to roles and responsibilities will be fair, open and transparent.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Departmental Responsibilities

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be taking on the Department for International Development legal obligation as set out in the International Development Act 2002 to prioritise poverty reduction.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Spending 0.7 percent of our national income on aid is enshrined in law. As per the Prime Minister’s statement to the House, the work of UK Aid to reduce poverty will remain central to the Foreign Commonwealth and Development office. We will undertake the necessary parliamentary process to transfer responsibilities under the International Development Act to the new department.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Overseas Aid

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the International Rescue Committee's research highlighting that 52 million additional people will go hungry in fragile and developing countries in 2020, whether the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will maintain the proportion of the aid budget that is spent in fragile and conflict-affected states, currently set at 50 per cent of the Department for International Development's annual budget.

James Cleverly: The UK is concerned about the food security outlook in 2020. At the end of last year, 135 million people were facing acute food insecurity in 55 countries. This is set to increase this year, driven in part by the COVID-19 pandemic and the desert locust outbreak. Fragile and conflict affected states (FCAS) will be amongst the most impacted.We are working with international partners to closely monitor the situation and take action. As a leading donor to the COVID-19 response and one of the biggest humanitarian actors, we are ensuring essential supplies reach those who need it the most. We have also adapted our social protection, agriculture and food security programmes to support the most vulnerable.The UK is committed to spending 0.7% of national income on development. Our work in FCAS is a vital part of this and we have consistently spent at least 50% of our Official Development Assistance in these contexts between 2015 to 2017. Figures for 2018 will be published in due course. We continue to look at how UK aid can be deployed most effectively in our national interest including through the Integrated Review, which will report in the Autumn and inform the new department’s priorities.

Overseas Aid

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the situation of religious minorities is considered as part of decisions on the allocation of UK Official Development Assistance.

Nigel Adams: The UK Government works to ensure that Official Development Assistance is allocated to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity. This includes minority religious communities, who are assessed by our partners when determining those most in need of protection and assistance.Vulnerable religious minority groups will experience crises such as COVID-19 outbreaks differently. Crises are likely to reinforce their marginalised position in society, their experience of discrimination, violence and stigma, and further limit their access to essential support and services. For this reason, guidance was circulated across DFID highlighting that inclusion must be central to our response and the specific contexts and needs of vulnerable religious communities and other vulnerable groups should be taken into account when developing practical programmes of assistance.On 8 June, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon hosted a roundtable to hear from faith leaders and faith-based development organisations about the specific challenges minority faith communities were facing during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Overseas Aid

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the level of demand for aid from countries that receive UK aid where people are persecuted due to their faith.

Nigel Adams: The UK Government works to ensure that UK aid is allocated to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance. This includes persecuted religious communities, who are assessed when determining those most in need of protection and assistance. DFID’s use of country context analysis has increased the extent to which religious dynamics and religious groups are factored into all of our country programmes. DFID undertakes interdisciplinary analysis of a country’s politics, society, state and economy to identify the most significant problems that hinder development and the main entry points and opportunities to create change. There is a strong emphasis on how politics, security, and demographics interact with economic growth and human development. This includes the role of religion and the persecution of religious minorities.On 8 June, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for Human Rights, hosted a roundtable to hear from faith leaders and faith-based development organisations about the challenges minority faith communities were facing, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether UK funding to the UN’s Access Coordination Unit is used to ensure access for humanitarian personnel and goods into Gaza from Egypt.

James Cleverly: The UK remains deeply concerned about the restrictions on movement and access that affect Gaza. DFID is providing £1.3 million (2018-21) to support the UN’s Access Coordination Unit (ACU), which works with all relevant parties to ensure humanitarian access to Gaza for UN and NGO workers. The ACU works with the Egyptian authorities to facilitate access through the Rafah crossing.

Gaza and West Bank: Overseas Aid

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure UK Official Development Assistance allocated to projects in the West Bank and Gaza is not facilitating terrorism in that region.

James Cleverly: DFID works through a limited number of partners in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and has robust controls against fraud and the diversion of aid. We select our partners for the strong safeguards they have in place, which reduces risk and ensures the maximum impact of UK aid for Palestinians. DFID’s funding agreements commit partners to understand and comply with UK and international counter terrorism legislation. Each programme also undergoes an audit of funds to assure that UK Aid was spent in line with agreed project activities.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Disability

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Disability Inclusion Strategy (2018 to 2023), and its successor policies, will remain a priority for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Wendy Morton: This Government is committed to supporting a long-term movement for change on the neglected global issue of disability inclusion. The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to this agenda.The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy is expected to conclude later in the year, which will define the Government’s ambition for the UK’s role in the world and its outcomes will shape the objectives of the FCDO. Both the review and the merger are evidence of the Prime Minister’s commitment to a unified British foreign and development policy that will maximise our influence around the world, including on disability and gender equality.As part of the merger discussions, we will review, refresh and build on all existing strategies, as well as developing new approaches where appropriate. We do not see the core ambitions of DFID’s Disability Inclusion strategy changing. The advancement of the inclusion of people with disabilities is as important now as when we published the strategy in 2018.

Developing Countries: Education

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will include girls' education as a priority for the UK's forthcoming Presidency of the G7.

Wendy Morton: The Department for International Development is working closely with other government departments to define the objectives for the UK’s G7 Presidency in 2021. These objectives will be shared in due course.The UK is a world leader in supporting girls’ education and standing up for the right of every girl to 12 years of quality education is a priority for this government, including through international engagement with partners.

Global Partnership for Education

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to host the forthcoming replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education.

Wendy Morton: The UK is proud to be the largest bilateral donor to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). As a major education multilateral, it has a key role in supporting governments to strengthen their education systems so that all children can receive a quality education.The UK is keen to play an active part in the 2021 GPE replenishment, and we are exploring the possibility of co-hosting the replenishment.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Overseas Aid

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the current level of UK aid spending on gender equality within humanitarian and development programming will be protected when her Department is merged with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Wendy Morton: The UK is committed to spending 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) on development, which is enshrined in law. This means the aid budget increases when the UK economy grows and decreases if the economy shrinks. The economy is expected to shrink this year due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and all government departments are working through how their plans need to change in the light of this. No decision has been taken, but we are considering the full range of our work. Given the expected fall in GNI this year, aid spending is under review across all departments. Any decisions on spending aid will be taken by the ministerial team in the new department, overseen by the Foreign Secretary and drawing on the expertise of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office staff.The UK International Development (Gender Equality) Act makes consideration of gender equality in all UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) a legal requirement. Advancing gender equality and women’s rights will remain a priority for this government.

Developing Countries: Overseas Aid

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of UK aid will support the world’s least developed countries after her Department merges with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK meets the UN Sustainable Development Goal target of spending 0.15% to 0.20% of Gross National Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA) in Least Developed Countries (LDCs). In 2018 (the latest year for which we have published National Statistics), LDCs received approximately £4.7 billion (32%) of UK ODA. This is equivalent to 0.22% of the UK’s GNI. The current Spending Period ends in March 2021, and therefore no budgets are allocated to any department beyond this year.

Overseas Aid: Religious Discrimination

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she taking to ensure that aid is targeted at the most vulnerable regardless of their faith; and what criteria her Department applies to ensure that religious minorities are not discriminated against.

Nigel Adams: The UK Government works to ensure that UK overseas aid is targeted at the most vulnerable and that religious minorities are not discriminated against. The UK is committed to delivering its aid according to internationally recognised humanitarian principles. These principles ensure that humanitarian assistance is delivered to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity. The UK is firmly committed to the protection of religious minorities, and regularly challenges our partners to demonstrate that they are doing all they can to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people, including those from religious minorities.DFID undertakes interdisciplinary analysis of a country’s politics, society, state and economy to identify the most significant problems that hinder development and the main entry points and opportunities to create change. There is a strong emphasis on how politics, security, and demographics interact with economic growth and human development to ensure that aid is targeted at the most vulnerable.Vulnerable religious minority groups will experience crises such as COVID-19 outbreaks differently. Crises are likely to reinforce their marginalised position in society, their experience of discrimination, violence and stigma, and further limit their access to essential support and services. For this reason, guidance was circulated across DFID highlighting that inclusion must be central to our response and that the specific contexts and needs of vulnerable religious communities and other vulnerable groups should be taken into account when developing practical programmes of assistance.On 8 June, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for Human Rights, hosted a roundtable to hear from faith leaders and faith-based development organisations about the specific challenges minority faith communities were facing during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Overseas Aid: Religion

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking ensure that religious minorities are not discriminated against during the establishment of aid projects.

Nigel Adams: The UK Government works to ensure that religious minorities are not discriminated against during the establishment of aid projects and is committed to delivering its aid according to internationally recognised humanitarian principles. These principles ensure that humanitarian assistance is delivered to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of assistance irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity.The situation of minority communities is taken into account when assessing those most in need of protection and assistance. This includes when a community is being targeted or is otherwise vulnerable because of their faith. We regularly challenge our partners to demonstrate that they are doing all they can to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people, including those from religious minorities.Vulnerable religious minority groups can experience discrimination, violence and stigma. For this reason, guidance has been circulated across DFID highlighting that inclusion must be central to our work and the specific contexts and needs of vulnerable religious communities, and other vulnerable groups, must be considered when developing practical programmes of assistance. DFID’s due diligence assessments ensure that all organisations supported have the correct procedures in place to tackle any discrimination of religious minorities.On 8 June, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, hosted a roundtable with faith leaders and the chief executives of faith-based development organisations. The meeting covered how faith groups are contributing to the response to COVID-19; where those interventions have been most effective; the challenges for faith groups, and, how DFID could work more effectively with faith groups.

Developing Countries: Food

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether it remains the Government's policy to maintain the UK's funding for the replenishment of the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program in 2020.

James Duddridge: The UK plays a leading role in the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP). We keep all our aid spending under constant review. Because of the likely drop in Gross National Income we are assessing across the board how we will manage the resulting fall in ODA in the coming year.

Developing Countries: Coronavirus

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, what steps she is taking to help prevent a (a) health and (b) global food security crisis in developing countries as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.

James Duddridge: The UK contributes financially and plays a leading role in the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), It addresses the key dimensions of agriculture and food security in the poorest and most vulnerable countries and has already adapted all its active programmes to respond to COVID-19. GAFSP is improving the food and nutrition security of 13.4 million smallholder farmers and their families. By doing so, it is helping build resilience and prepare the ground for a sustainable recovery from the negative health and food security impacts of the pandemic.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Overseas Aid

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has been responsible for expenditure from the £40 million Chagossian support package announced in November 2016.

Wendy Morton: HMG continues to work with partners to identify effective ways to spend the £40 million Chagossian support package announced in November 2016, half of which is sourced from ODA. To date DFID has supported the British Council to provide English language training for Chagossians in Mauritius.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Overseas Aid

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much expenditure from the £40 million Chagossian support package announced in November 2016 has been counted as Official Development Assitance in each financial year in which that expenditure occurred.

Wendy Morton: Since the Written Ministerial Statement in November 2016, neither the main Chagossian leadership nor the Government of Mauritius have engaged actively with the UK Government in the development of a support package for Chagossians in Mauritius. However, as a first step DFID has contracted the British Council in Mauritius to deliver English Language Training (ELT) to the Chagossian community. ELT courses commenced in late August 2019 and will continue into 2020/2021. Of the £20 million allocated as Overseas Development Assistance under the package, £37,944.37 was spent in 2019/20 on ELT as a means to help the Chagossian community improve their livelihoods. No funds were spent in earlier years or have been spent in 2020/21 to date.

Department for Education

Sixth Form Education: Free School Meals

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has plans to extend the funding of free school meals over the 2020 summer holiday to students studying in (a) sixth form colleges and (b) 16-19 academies.

Vicky Ford: Provision for free school meals is ordinarily term time only. However, owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, the government fully understands that children and parents face an unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a COVID Summer Food Fund which will enable families with school children who are eligible for free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the six-week holiday period.Our guidance on the COVID Summer Food Fund is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-summer-food-fund.More information on free school meals for students in 16 to 19 provision over the summer will be announced shortly.

Department for Education: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June to Question 64998, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of wider core schools funding for England that will be allocated as Official Development Assistance in (a) 2020 and (b) each of the next five years.

Vicky Ford: The department has not made an estimate of the amount of spending on official development assistance (ODA) in 2020 or future years. Our ODA spending primarily relates to the provision of education to child and unaccompanied child asylum seekers in the 12 months after they make an asylum claim in the UK. As such, the level of spending in future years will be dependent on the number of asylum seeker children that arrive in the country. It is our policy that asylum seeker children who attend a school or early years setting attract funding in the same way as all other children. This is allocated through the schools national funding formula and other grants like the pupil premium and teachers’ pay grant.The department’s estimated spending on ODA in each year from 2015 to 2019 are given below: 20152016201720182019DfE spend classified as ODA (£ million)2228242019

Further Education: Coronavirus

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional funding is available to support residential colleges during the covid-19 outbreak.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department is providing to residential colleges during the covid-19 outbreak.

Gillian Keegan: To help manage the pressures of COVID-19, we can confirm that the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will continue to pay grant funded providers, including residential adult colleges, their scheduled monthly profiled payments for the remainder of the 2019/20 funding year. And for 2019/20 only, the ESFA will not carry out the final reconciliation for grant funded providers in receipt of ESFA funded adult education budget (AEB) and the advanced learner loans bursary (ALLB) fund, subject to them meeting certain conditions set out in the further education (FE) Operational Guidance on maintaining education and skills training provision, published on 23 March 2020.ESFA has issued both AEB and Advanced Learners Loans funding allocations to residential colleges in preparation for 2020/21.The government appreciates the importance of adult education to improving people’s life chances. We are currently reviewing funding for Residential Specialist Designated Institutions, focusing on the residential support for learners funded via the AEB and the ALLB. We will complete this review in autumn 2020.As announced last summer, we will next year be increasing investment in education and training of 16 to 19 year olds by £400 million, including an increased base rate, and more funding for high cost and high value subjects, which will help the sector to deliver in the difficult circumstances we are facing during the outbreak. In March this year, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor announced that we are going to transform FE colleges across the country, investing £1.5 billion of new capital by 2025-6.On 29 June my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced a transformative ten-year construction programme to deliver the world-class education and training needed to get Britain back on its feet. This includes £200 million for urgent repairs and upgrades to FE colleges this year.We are also looking carefully at all elements of FE funding in preparation for the forthcoming Spending Review.

Dedicated Schools Grant: Special Educational Needs

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to increase the High Needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authorities have made representations to his Department on the adequacy of SEND funding in each of the last three years.

Vicky Ford: We are aware that local authorities have faced pressures on their high needs budgets in the past. That is why we are increasing the high needs budget by £780 million this year, to £7.2 billion. This will be the single largest year-on-year increase since the high needs block was created in 2013. We will announce the allocations for 2021-22 in due course.The department receives a large volume of representations, including the adequacy of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) funding. The department held a call for evidence about the SEND funding system last year, including both an online form which received 867 responses, and includes responses from local authorities. The department also held series of workshops across the country seeking views, which representatives from a range of local authorities attended. The department also holds regular meetings with local authorities and other interested stakeholders to gather their views on various topics, including SEND funding.

Universities: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect on the finances of universities of a reduction in the income derived from  international students; and what steps he is taking to help ensure that universities are able to replace that income.

Michelle Donelan: The government recognises that the COVID-19 outbreak will have an unparalleled impact on all elements of the global and UK economy. The higher education (HE) sector, including student recruitment, is no exception. We understand that a possible reduction in international student numbers poses significant challenges but stand ready to help the sector with various mitigations.The UK’s world-leading universities remain open to international students and we are working as a priority to make processes as flexible as possible to allow them to study at UK institutions in 2020-21. The UK’s new International Education Champion, Sir Steve Smith, will assist with opening up export growth opportunities for the whole UK education sector, which will include attracting international students to UK universities.The government is committed to continuing to improve our offer to international students, which is why we have announced the new graduate route, to be introduced in summer 2021. The graduate route will be simple and light-touch and will permit graduates at undergraduate and masters level to remain in the UK for 2 years and PhD graduates to remain in the UK for 3 years after they have finished their studies and to work or look for work at any skill level - a significant improvement in our offer.On 4 May, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced the package of measures to stabilise university admissions this autumn and ensure sustainability in HE at a time of unprecedented uncertainty. We are pulling forward an estimated £2.6 billion worth of forecast tuition fee payments to ease cashflow pressure this autumn and are bringing forward quality-related research funding for HE providers in England in the current academic year by £100 million. Full details of the package have been published on GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/news/government-support-package-for-universities-and-students.On 27 June, the government announced a further package of support to research-active universities. This includes £280 million of government funding and a package of low-interest loans with long pay-back periods supplemented by a small amount of government grants, which will be available from autumn. In sharing responsibility for the future of science and research with our world-leading university system, the government will cover up to 80% of a university’s income losses from international students for the academic year 2020/21, up to the value of their non-publicly funded research activity.The government has confirmed that HE providers in England are eligible to apply for its support packages, including business loan support schemes. The Office for Students estimates that these schemes could be worth at least £700 million to the sector.In such instances, we will work with providers to review their circumstances and assess the need for restructuring and any attached conditions. We will only intervene further where we believe there is a case to do so and where we believe that intervention is possible and appropriate and as a last resort. The department will be working with HM Treasury and other government departments, and with the devolved administrations, to develop this restructuring regime.

Department for Education: Written Questions

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to respond to Question 60723, tabled by the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North on 17 June 2020.

Vicky Ford: Written parliamentary question 60723 was answered on 09 July 2020.

Universities: Russell Group

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils in each UK region and nation progressed to a Russell Group university in each of the last 10 years.

Michelle Donelan: The attached tables show the number and percentage of students who progressed to a Russell Group university in the year after reaching the end of 16 to 18 study in state-funded schools and colleges in each region of England. The tables cover the last 8 years for which data is available. The tables only include students who took approved level 3 qualifications, including A levels. Only students who were enrolled for at least 2 terms in the destination year are counted. 



69678_tables
(Word Document, 80.5 KB)

GCE A-level: Assessments

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils achieved the equivalent of AAA or better at A-level in each English region in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Gibb: The table below provides information on the percentage of students achieving 3 A*-A grades or better at A level by region between 2009/10 to 2018/19[1],[2]Region2010201120122013[3]20143201532016[4]201742018420194State-funded sector9.810.210.09.89.49.210.511.110.710.8North East7.67.87.67.67.07.48.810.09.310.2North West10.410.910.010.09.69.310.810.910.110.2Yorkshire and The Humber8.89.59.29.28.68.29.910.810.210.0East Midlands8.38.58.48.88.17.99.09.911.49.1West Midlands8.79.29.38.67.97.89.29.29.19.3East of England10.310.911.010.310.610.210.811.39.811.6London9.910.19.39.79.29.210.411.611.711.6Inner London6.86.96.76.56.96.48.19.810.411.3Outer London11.111.311.211.010.210.411.512.412.311.7South East11.111.211.310.910.510.311.812.411.511.8South West10.010.610.410.510.110.011.011.011.111.1[1] Covers students at the end of advanced level study who were entered for at least one A level, applied single A level, applied double A level or combined A/AS level during 16-18 study, excluding critical thinking and general studies. This measure only includes A level students who have entered less than a total of size 1 in other academic, applied general and tech level qualifications.[2] An applied double award A level at grade A*A* counts as two grade A*s, AA counts as two grade As and an award at grade AB counts as one grade A.[3] Figures from 2012/13 to 2014/15 cover students at the end of advanced level study who were entered for at least one A level, applied single award A level, applied double award A level or combined A/AS level in the reporting year. Figures for earlier years cover students who were entered for at least one A level, applied single award A level, applied double award A level or combined A/AS level in the summer of the reporting year.[4] Figures for 2015/16 onwards cover students at the of advanced level study who were entered for at least one A/AS level, applied single A/AS level, applied double A/AS level or combined A/AS level during their 16-18 study. As a result there was a jump in the A level cohort in 2016, since gradually reversed with reforms to A Levels, with the progressive decoupling of AS and A Level subjects. Therefore figures are not directly comparable to earlier years.

GCSE: Ethnic Groups

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) White British, (b) Indian, (c) Bangladeshi, (d) Pakistani, (e) Black African , (f) Black Caribbean, (g) mixed ethnicity and (h) all pupils achieved five good passes at GCSE in each of the last 20 years.

Nick Gibb: The attached table shows the percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSEs (including English and mathematics) at grades A*-C (or equivalent) at the end of Key Stage 4 by ethnic grouping. The time series runs from 2004/05 to 2018/19 (the latest available). Care should be taken when comparing results over time due to the way the measures have changed in response to various reforms, e.g. Professor Alison Wolf’s Review of Vocational Education.The Government is committed to ensuring that every child, whatever their background, has the opportunity to reach their full potential and our ambitious programme of reform is transforming the education landscape to ensure we deliver the world-class education that every young person deserves.



GCSE results by ethnicity
(Excel SpreadSheet, 37.12 KB)

Ormskirk School: Construction

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the building of the current Ormskirk school using funding from his Department was conditional on the terms of the Ormskirk Foundation Trust and the local authority; and if he will place a copy of that lease in the Library.

Nick Gibb: Ormskirk School moved to its new accommodation in 2004. The land had been part of the site of the former Cross Hall High School, a community school, and was transferred by Lancashire County Council (LCC) in February 2006 to five named individuals who were trustees of the Foundation Trust of the school. The Department for Education was not party to that transfer. The 2006 Charity Commission scheme for the Foundation Trust provides for the Foundation Trust to retain the land for use as a voluntary school. Copies of the title number LAN28839 are available on request from LCC or the Foundation Trust and the Land Registry. A copy of the title has been shared with the Department as part of the conversion of the school to become an academy.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: Coronavirus

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on the backlog of criminal cases in the courts of limits on access for legal representatives to clients in custody as a result of the restricted regime on the custodial estate in England and Wales.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on access to timely justice for victims of limits on access for legal representatives to clients in custody as a result of the restricted regime on the custodial estate in England and Wales.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to improve access for legal representatives to clients in custody during the relaxation of regime restrictions on the custodial estate in England and Wales.

Lucy Frazer: Alongside the closure of courts, the government suspended all but exceptional visits to prisons in March 2020. This was to ensure the safety of both prisoners and our staff through the pandemic.HM Courts and Tribunal Service and HM Prison and Probation Service are working closely to reduce the backlog of court cases. As a result, crime recovery work is now moving at pace and we are operating jury trials in 41 crown courts. This has been a significant achievement, involving close working with public health partners. Further crown courts will be resuming jury trials throughout the course of this month. Throughout the pandemic, crown courts have continued to deal with pre-trial preparation hearings, case management and sentencing custody cases, among other hearings.Despite the absence of physical visits, prisoners do maintain the right to access legal advice, and we have looked to ensure that prisoners continue to have the tools to make contact with their legal representatives via telephone, video link or written correspondence.Since the outbreak of the pandemic we have enhanced the capability of prison videoconferencing facilities, particularly to support priority court work such as sentencing hearings and prisoners approaching their parole hearing dates. We have made use of the additional 1,250 mobile phones issued to prisons without in-cell telephony in order to facilitate private conversations with legal advisors, alongside encouraging governors to ensure prisoners can have conversations with their representatives in confidence.We are also taking steps to increase the available capacity of video conferencing across the estate through increased operating hours to include longer hours during the weekdays, and at some locations on Saturdays. This will sit alongside renewed guidance to all governors on the importance of making sure that adequate time for legal advice is made available to prisoners where possible. Alongside this work, we are increasing the physical number of video link outlets at some critical sites where capacity is limited, as well as to support specialist courts, including youth and women’s prisons, together with the re-purposing of some unused spaces within prisons for more video link capacity.As stated in our National Framework for recovery in prisons, we are adapting aspects of prison regime, in consultation with trade unions and health partners, to restart key services. We are consulting representatives of the legal profession on the resumption of legal visits so that they can resume in a safe manner.The measures set out above seek to minimise potential delays or adjournments due to defence counsel being unable to receive instructions from their clients and therefore minimise the impact on victims caused by delays in their cases being heard in court.

Immigration

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions there were in Magistrates' and Crown courts for all the offences mentioned in section 24 of the Immigration Act 1971 in each of the last five years.

Chris Philp: The Ministry of Justice has published information on convictions at offence level up to December 2019. The number of convictions for offences under section 24 of the Immigration Act 1971 at all courts can be found in the ‘Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code data tool’, available here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888344/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2019.xlsxIn the pivot table, filter the Offence code field to the following Home Office offence codes:07804 Non-British citizen, by means including deception, obtaining or seeking leave to enter or remain in the UK or postponement, avoidance or revocation of enforcement action against him19401 Non-citizen entering UK in breach of a deportation order19402 Non-citizen entering UK without leave19403 Non-citizen having only a limited leave remaining in UK beyond the time limit.19404 Non-citizen failing to observe conditions of leave19405 Non-citizen entering United Kingdom as a member of a crew of a ship or aircraft and who is required to leave on the ship or aircraft remaining in the United Kingdom beyond the time allowed19406 Non-citizen failing to comply with requirements to report to a medical officer or to submit to a test or examination required by such an officer19407 Non-citizen failing to observe any restrictions as to residence or to reporting to police or an immigration officer19408 Non-citizen disembarking in the United Kingdom from a ship or aircraft after being placed on board with a view to removal from United Kingdom19409 Non-citizen embarking in contravention of a restriction imposed by Order in CouncilConvictions can be found in row 32 of the pivot table. If an offence code does not appear in the drop-down box then there were no prosecutions or convictions for that particular offence in the time period covered by the table.The figures given in the pivot table relate to defendants for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

Juries: Training

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training juries receive on dealing with historical sexual abuse cases; and how regularly that training is provided.

Alex Chalk: Juries are randomly selected, independent and make decisions purely on the basis of the facts presented to them by the prosecution and defence. Jury members receive no advice or training prior to being called to serve on any case. However, they are guided and supported by the trial judge who advises them on the relevant points of law and reminds them of their role. Judges hearing serious sex offence cases are required to have specialist training.There is guidance provided to judges in the Crown Court Compendium (a publicly available document) as to what directions may be given to juries in appropriate circumstances. This includes guidance on how to advise juries in serious sexual offence cases.https://www.judiciary.uk/publications/crown-court-compendium-published/

ICT

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for the 1999 presumption in law that computer systems are working properly of the (a) changes since 1999 in the design, operation and ubiquity of computer systems and (b) Post Office Horizon scandal.

Alex Chalk: We do not intend to review the presumption as it has wide application. However, it is impossible to ignore the impact that the dispute over the Horizon Accounting System and the subsequent litigation process has had on the postmasters affected. Post Office Limited (POL) has accepted that it got things wrong in the past in its dealings with a number of postmasters and has apologised.This Government is committed to ensuring that this apology is only the start of a process that leads to real change in the Post Office so that this situation can never be repeated.  That is the purpose of the Independent Review that Minister Paul Scully MP announced on Wednesday 10 June. The Government wants to be fully assured that the right lessons are learned for the future and concrete changes have taken place at Post Office Limited.

Coronavirus Act 2020

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions there have been under the Coronavirus Act 2020; and how many and what proportion of those prosecutions were subsequently (a) withdrawn and (b) overturned.

Chris Philp: National Statistics on prosecutions and convictions for the first and second quarter of 2020 are due for publication in August and November 2020, with detailed offence level data for the whole of 2020 planned for publication in May 2021. Our statisticians are currently considering what suitable data from court management information systems could be gathered and prioritised for quality assurance and publication before then related to Covid-19 impacts, including potentially prosecutions for offences under the act. They will notify users through regular statistical publications.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2020 to Question 66875, if his Department will publish all correspondence between his Department and the Law Commission relating to tribunal fees from 26 July 2017.

Chris Philp: The Ministry of Justice holds regular discussions with many organisations, including the Law Commission, about various policy areas. We do not routinely publish internal discussions between Government and other organisations, such as the Law Commission.

Tribunals: Coronavirus

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the Government's timescale is for allowing tribunals to sit as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Chris Philp: Tribunals have continued to sit during the covid-19 lockdown restrictions by making use of online and remote technology to hear cases and ensure continued access to justice for users. Face to face hearings are now starting to resume where it is safe to do so in line with comprehensive and ongoing risk assessments.Having responded effectively to the immediate crisis, HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is now fully focused on recovering its operations to increase courts and tribunals capacity to deal both with normal workloads across jurisdictions and outstanding cases. HMCTS has recently published a progress update on its recovery plans.assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/896779/HMCTS368_recovery_-_COVID-19-_Overview_of_HMCTS_response_A4L_v3.pdf

Treasury

Brexit

Ruth Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on the economy of reaching the end of the transition period without a trade deal with the EU in place.

John Glen: The UK wants a relationship with the EU, which is based on friendly cooperation between sovereign equals, and centered on free trade. We are looking for a deal like those the EU has struck with other friendly countries like Canada. The economic impacts of our trade deal with the EU are the subject of public debate among analysts. It is impossible for a single model, number or scenario to capture that complexity or represent the varying impacts that will be felt across different parts of the economy. The specifics of EU exit depend on the outcome of detailed negotiations. We will continue to keep Parliament informed with appropriate analysis at appropriate times in a way that does not impede our ability to strike the best deal for the UK.

Exercise Cygnus

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's role was in Exercise Cygnus in October 2016.

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what learning were shared with his Department after Exercise Cygnus in October 2016.

John Glen: HM Treasury participated in Exercise Cygnus in 2016. The aim of Exercise Cygnus was to assess the UK’s preparedness and response to a pandemic influenza that was close to the UK’s worst-case planning scenarios. The Government accepted all the recommendations from Exercise Cygnus. The lessons identified from the exercise have been incorporated into an on-going programme of work on the Government’s pandemic flu response plans.

Financial Services: UK Relations with EU

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many of the 28 questionnaires sent from the European Commission on areas where equivalence assessments are possible the Government has answered; and whether the Government plans to answer the remaining questionnaires.

John Glen: As I set out at the Lords’ EU Services Sub-Committee last Thursday, the questionnaires that the EU have sent as part of their assessment process of the UK’s equivalence framework amount to over 1000 pages of extremely technical questions, the last 250 pages of which only reached us at the end of May. My officials have been responding to these questions as quickly as possible and will return the remaining questionnaires by the end of this week.

Bank Services

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason a bank is not required to give an explanation before closing a customer's account.

John Glen: In most circumstances the provision of a bank’s services are a commercial decision for the bank. The terms and conditions of the contract between the two parties govern the termination of that contract, and the Government does not intervene in these decisions. Although the Treasury sets the legal framework for the regulation of financial services it does not have investigative or prosecuting powers of its own. In line with international standards on money laundering and counter terrorist financing set by the Financial Action Taskforce, banks are expected to apply risk-sensitive customer due diligence measures when considering the services they provide to current or potential customers. Banks should then make a decision on whether and how to provide banking services on the basis of an assessment of each customer’s circumstances. The decision of whether to provide banking servicesmay, of course, be informed by more than just the bank’s risk appetite and may include an assessment of profitability or other commercial factors. The treatment of customers by UK firms which are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is governed by its Principles of Business. This includes a general requirement for firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all their customers.

Social Enterprises: Coronavirus

Marion Fellows: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to allocate financial support for cooperatives; and what support his Department is making available to simplify the process for establishing such cooperatives.

Marion Fellows: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the recommendations in the report entitled, We are the rebuilders: Four co-operative offers for building back better from COVID-19, published in June 2020 by Co-operatives UK.

John Glen: The Government recognises the value of co-operatives, and the contribution they make to all sectors of the economy. The first phase of our economic response has seen us take unprecedented steps to support the economy through the crisis; to keep as many people as possible in their existing jobs, to support viable businesses, including co-operatives, to stay afloat, and to protect the incomes of the most vulnerable. Co-operatives, like other businesses, have been eligible for a range of Government support schemes, including the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme, grants delivered by Local Authorities and business loans. The Government has taken significant steps to support the growth of co-operatives right across the country. In 2014 the Government passed the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act, to reduce legal complexity for co-operatives and community benefit societies, and at the same time increased the amount of share capital an individual member can put into a co-operative society to £100,000. HM Treasury officials also hosted a ‘Mutuals Workshop’ with representatives from the sector in 2019, to understand the challenges faced by mutuals and how Government can help to address these. As we start to open the economy up and we look forward, we will consider how best to support the economic recovery. We will develop new measures to grow the economy, to back businesses, including co-operatives, and to help people thrive in the new post-Covid world. We will continue to consider how we can best support the co-operative sector to reach its potential, and welcome the views of Co-operatives UK and others in the sector as we do.

Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support people classed as self-employed for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 tax years and not the 2019-20 tax year who are ineligible for support through the Self-employment Income Support Scheme.

Kate Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of establishing an additional fund for self-employed people who are not eligible for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to help cover the costs of reopening their business as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Jesse Norman: Self-employed individuals, including members of partnerships, are eligible for the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) if they have submitted their Income Tax Self Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018-19, continued to trade, and have been adversely affected by COVID-19. To qualify, their self-employed trading profits must be no more than £50,000 and at least equal to their non-trading income. Individuals who are ineligible for the SEISS may benefit from other elements of the unprecedented financial support provided by the Government. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants.

Roadchef: Employee Benefit Trusts

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to include the Roadchef Employee Benefits scheme in the schedule of tax-exempt share ownership schemes as outlined in EDM 268 on Fair tax and employee share ownership.

Jesse Norman: The administration of the tax system is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs, who have indicated that they are in dialogue with the taxpayer. It would not be appropriate for Treasury ministers to become involved in the administration of the tax system in specific cases.

Money: Coronavirus

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the UK’s cash infrastructure.

John Glen: The Government recognises that widespread access to cash is extremely important to the daily lives of millions of people across the UK. The Government is engaging with the financial regulators, including through the Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group, to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on the UK’s cash infrastructure and remains committed to protecting access to cash for those who need it, while supporting digital payments.At the March 2020 Budget, the Chancellor announced that the Government will bring forward legislation to protect access to cash. This will ensure that those who continue to rely on cash can continue to do so in the long-term.

Members: Correspondence

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to reply to the letter dated 6 May 2020 from the hon. Member for Glasgow Central on the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on food and drink wholesalers.

Kemi Badenoch: The Treasury responded to the Member’s letter on 21 June.

Social Clubs: Coronavirus

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal support his Department is providing for social clubs reliant on live music performances affected by covid-19 outbreak lockdown restrictions.

Kemi Badenoch: Social clubs and other live music venues continue to have access to a range of support measures including, but not limited to: A 12-month business rates holiday for all eligible retail, leisure and hospitality businesses in EnglandThe retail, hospitality and leisure grant fund (RHLGF)A Discretionary Grant Fund for Local Authorities in EnglandThe Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS)The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBL) for small and micro enterprisesVAT deferral for up to 12 monthsThe Time To Pay scheme, through which businesses in financial distress, and with outstanding tax liabilities, can receive support with their tax affairsProtection for commercial leaseholders against automatic forfeiture for non-payment until September 30, 2020. In addition, on 5 July the Government announced that live music venues would be eligible to benefit from the Government’s world-leading £1.57 billion rescue package for Britain’s arts, culture and heritage industries. The government will continue to engage with businesses and representative groups with the aim of ensuring that support provided is right for this sector and for the economy as a whole.

Members: Correspondence

Mr John Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the letters of 8 April 2020, 12 May 2020 and 18 June 2020 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay on Mr Alan Bates.

Jesse Norman: The Treasury has received a huge volume of additional correspondence in recent months and is sorry for the delay in responding to the Honourable Member. Officials will respond as soon as possible.

Coronavirus: EU Action

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to apply for funding proposed by the EU Commission for covid-19-related projects before the end of 2020.

Steve Barclay: The Government has announced unprecedented support for public services, workers and businesses to protect against the current economic emergency. Our economic response is one of the most generous and comprehensive globally and the Government is now working urgently to deliver these schemes as quickly as possible. We’ve taken steps to make our schemes deliverable, fair and targeted at those who need it the most. These measures will support millions of families, businesses and self-employed people to get through this and emerge on the other side both stronger and more united. Under the financial settlement in the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK will continue to pay into EU programmes funded by the 2020 EU Budget, and benefit from our share of receipts, until the end of this year. This includes initiatives which form part of the EU’s Covid-19 response, although there are some new measures which do not apply to the UK under the Withdrawal Agreement. The Government is considering different funds on a case-by-case basis and will apply for funding where it is in the national interest to do so.

Tax Avoidance

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to (a) identify and (b close down disguised remuneration schemes.

Jesse Norman: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) remain committed to tackling new and emerging tax avoidance schemes and will launch a call for evidence shortly to seek views on further interventions to tackle these schemes and end their use. HMRC have opened tens of thousands of enquiries, successfully litigated cases through the courts and agreed settlements to help DR users exit tax avoidance. HMRC are now increasingly intervening in real time, using information from employers and other intelligence relating to the avoidance market. HMRC are writing to taxpayers who appear to have started using avoidance before they complete their tax return to give them an opportunity to get out of the arrangements as early as possible.HMRC are also challenging scheme promoters and other enablers in the marketed avoidance supply chain in order to disrupt their business. On 19 March 2020, they published a revised strategy for tackling promoters of mass-marketed tax avoidance schemes which sets out HMRC’s work to date and outlines HMRC and Government ambitions to drive promoters of tax avoidance out of business. It is guiding policy, operations, engagement and communications. The Promoter Strategy is available on GOV.UK.

Business: Coronavirus

Neil Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an individualised financial support package for different sectors of the economy based on the respective effects of covid-19 outbreak on those sectors.

Kemi Badenoch: The Government has provided one of the most comprehensive and generous packages of support for businesses globally. The Chancellor recently extended the furlough scheme until the end of October and a host of other support measures are still available for businesses in all sectors.In addition, the Government has implemented targeted measures for specific sectors where it has believed it was necessary. For example, small businesses occupying properties for retail, hospitality or leisure purposes can benefit from £25,000 per property for each property that has a rateable value above £15,000 and below £51,000. Eligible businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality in England can also benefit from a 12-month business rates holiday. Also, on 5 July the Government announced that Britain’s arts, culture and heritage industries will receive a world-leading £1.57 billion rescue package. Additionally, on 8 July the Chancellor announced further sectoral support for businesses including, but not limited to: A reduction in the VAT rate to 5% for accommodation, attractions and the hospitality sector for a 6-month periodThe Eat Out to Help scheme which will support 129,000 businesses in the hospitality sector.£1.1 million for the creation of the Construction Talent Retention Scheme to help businesses in the construction industry retain employees.An additional £450 million boost to the Short Term Home Building Fund, and a confirmation of the £400 million Brownfield Land Fund and £12.2 billion Affordable Homes Programme to support the housing industry. As we cautiously reopen closed sectors of the economy the Government will continue to review the economic situation and provide further support for specific sectors if it believes it is appropriate.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Neil Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to extend the Coronavurus Job Retention Scheme for businesses in sectors unable to reopen for safety reasons as the covod-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Neil Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme on a (a) sectoral and (b) geographical basis to take account of differences in (i) speed and (ii) location of reopening as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Jesse Norman: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said there will be no further extensions or changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). After eight months of the CJRS, the scheme will close at the end of October.Businesses and sectors that are unable to reopen can continue to access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until the scheme’s end as they have done so far. The introduction of flexible furloughing further ensures that firms can begin to bring furloughed employees back to work as lockdown restrictions are eased and it becomes safe to do so. It would be challenging to target the CJRS to specific sectors and locations in a fair and deliverable way, and it may not be the case that this is the most effective or sensible way to provide longer term support for those sectors and areas that are not yet reopening. The Government will continue to engage with businesses and sectors with the aim of ensuring that support provided is right for those sectors and for the economy as a whole.

*No heading*

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review Valuation Office Agency rules which prevent neighbouring business properties with the same owner from being considered as separate properties for the purposes of accessing Government covid-19 grant schemes.

Kemi Badenoch: Any property which has its own rating assessment and which meets the eligibility criteria for the Small Business Grant Fund or the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund is eligible for grants from these funds. If the question is referring to the rules regarding Small Business Rate Relief, under which businesses can only receive SBRR on one property even if they occupy multiple properties: the rules for SBRR are set by MHCLG, not the Valuation Office Agency. SBRR has been designed to benefit the smallest businesses and the rules regarding SBRR reflect this intention. The Small Business Grant Fund has been designed to support the smallest businesses which face high fixed property-related costs. The SBGF provides businesses with a grant of £10,000 per property, for each property in receipt of SBRR or Rural Rate Relief. Under the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure Grant Fund, businesses can receive a grant of either £10,000 or £25,000 for each property they own which is being used for retail, hospitality, or leisure purposes with a rateable value of under £51,000. So a business may receive multiple grants up to a maximum of €800,000 per business.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

County Councils

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the Government's policy is on further devolution of powers to county councils; and if he will make a statement.

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to include a devolution framework for local authorities to follow in the English Devolution White Paper.

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to include proposals on the county council tier of local government in his forthcoming devolution White Paper.

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to devolve further powers to metro mayors in England.

Mr Simon Clarke: Building on the success of our directly elected city region Mayors, our English Devolution and Local Recovery White Paper will set out our plans for expanding devolution, creating more elected Mayors in England, giving them and existing Mayors the powers they need to lead economic recovery and long term growth, and more unitary local authorities with stronger town and parish councils to deliver sustainable local services.We intend to publish the White Paper in Autumn 2020.

Housing: Construction

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what safeguarding measures are in place for potential home-buyers of new build properties to ensure that Building Control Regulation Completion Certificates have been issued prior to the sale of that property.

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what legal requirements are in place to ensure that Building Regulation Completion Certificates have been issued before the release of funds by financial providers in the sale of a new build property.

Christopher Pincher: The Building Regulations 2010 set standards for the design and construction of building work. The building owner will have usually received a completion certificate (from local authority building control) or a final certificate (from an approved inspector) before the building is occupied. These certificates are issued when the work is complete by a local authority for the sale of a new build property. In some circumstances a building may be occupied before the building owner has received the completion certificate or the final certificate. Part 3, Regulation 17(4) of the Building Regulations 2010 states that: ‘A certificate given in accordance with this regulation shall be evidence (but not conclusive evidence) that the requirements specified in the certificate have been complied with’.There is no statutory link between the Building Regulations and the conveyancing process. The prospective buyer and their professional advisers should satisfy themselves that they have all material facts relating to the property before they commit to buying.

Mobile Broadband: Rural Areas

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to fast-track reforms to permitted development rights as part of Project Speed to assist the deployment of mobile networks and 5G, and benefit rural coverage through the Shared Rural Network Initiative.

Christopher Pincher: In August 2019, a joint consultation by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport was launched to consider amending permitted development rights to support increased mobile coverage and 5G deployment.The consultation closed on 04 November 2019. The Government is considering the replies and will issue a response in due course. Subject to the outcome of this consultation, if the proposals are taken forward, we anticipate undertaking a further consultation on the detail of those proposals.

Letting Agents: Fees and Charges

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to (a) restrict the ability of lettings agents to charge administrative fees to tenants and (b) sanction the (i) improper, (ii) excessive and (iii) arbitrary levying of those fees.

Christopher Pincher: The Tenant Fees Act 2019 was approved by Parliament with cross-party support and came into force on 1 June 2019.The Tenant Fees Act bans unfair letting fees and caps tenancy deposits paid by tenants in the private rented sector in England. From 1 June 2020 the Act applies to all assured shorthold tenancies.

Pedestrian Areas: Visual Impairment

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that changes proposed in the Business and Planning Bill for more on-street (a) serving and (b) dining do not affect the ability of visually impaired people to navigate their communities safely.

Christopher Pincher: All pavement licences will either have an express or - in default - deemed “no-obstruction condition”. This is a condition that anything done by the licence-holder must not, amongst other things, prevent non-vehicular traffic passing along the relevant highway. This would include disabled people. The Secretary of State has published a national condition in the draft pavement licences guidance, under his powers included in the legislation, requiring that clear routes of access are maintained, taking into account the needs of disabled people and recommended minimum footway widths and distances required for access by mobility impaired and visually impaired people as set out in Section 3.1 of the Government’s Inclusive Mobility guidance.

Travel: Coronavirus

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 63565 on Travel: Coronavirus, whether the Government plans to reimburse all costs incurred by local authorities in supporting incoming travellers without accommodation to meet quarantine regulations.

Mr Simon Clarke: Most arrivals to the UK will have appropriate accommodation for when they arrive and should make such arrangements before they travel. For the small minority that do not, Border Force can help make suitable arrangements, at the traveller’s own expense, and anyone without the ability to self-isolate should approach Border Force upon arrival. The Government plans to discuss with local authorities how best to make arrangements to support incoming travellers who are without the means to self-isolate effectively. Furthermore, the re-opening of the hospitality sector provides new arrivals with even more options to make arrangements before they travel to the UK. Finally, the list of countries which are exempt from these requirements is growing and therefore new arrivals should check the rules which apply from 10 July to see if they need to self-isolate.

Social Clubs: Coronavirus

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance has been provided to social clubs that hold bingo sessions on the restarting of those sessions from 4 July.

Mr Simon Clarke: Since 4 July, multi-purpose community facilities have been opened more widely for a range of activities, including social clubs. Guidance on how such buildings can be opened safely can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-multi-purpose-community-facilities/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-multi-purpose-community-facilities .

Housing: Construction

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will amend the planning system to strengthen the requirements on the amount of outdoor space to be provided with new housing developments.

Christopher Pincher: The importance of including open space in development is clear from our policy and guidance. The National Planning Policy Framework encourages developments that promote health and well-being, with a high standard of amenity for existing and future users. It says that planning policies should assess the need for different types of open space in each area, and then seek to accommodate it. In their report the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission made nature one of their priority themes and noted that green spaces should be integral to the urban fabric. We welcome their recommendations and look forward to responding to their report in due course The supporting National Design Guide shows how high quality and attractive open spaces can be integral to new development, to encourage physical activity and promote health, well-being and social inclusion.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many applications his Department has received for the Building Safety Fund for the remediation of unsafe non-ACM cladding systems.

Christopher Pincher: Registration for the Building Safety Fund opened 1 June, while guidance for the application process will be published later this month. To date, we have received 1070 completed registration forms.

Ministry of Defence

Defence Sixth Form College

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of (a) Welbeck College and (b) other relevant stakeholders on the future of that college with regard to the decision to end the Defence Technical Officer and Engineer Entry Scheme.

James Heappey: The Defence Sixth Form College at Welbeck is run as a Private Finance Initiative on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and the Department engages regularly with the Contractor and Welbeck staff over the administration of the College and education of its students. This close cooperation will continue as the College enters its last year of operation to ensure the continued provision of an excellent educational experience and facilitate appropriate support to members of staff. Work is ongoing with the Armed Services to implement the future Defence STEM Undergraduate Scheme (DSUS) which is replacing the Defence Technical Officer and Engineering Entry Scheme.The future of the Welbeck site is part of an ongoing study to consider whether it may be required for an alternative Defence purpose. Should that not be the case it will be placed on the open market at which time discussions would take place with relevant stakeholders including the Local Authority and Partners Across Government, to seek the best possible future use of the site. It is too early to say what the outcome might be, but early market testing identified credible prospective interest from the private education sector.

Defence Sixth Form College: Sports

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allowing continued public access to Welbeck College’s sporting facilities after the closure of that college.

James Heappey: Welbeck College has been pleased to be able to make some of its sporting facilities available for other users since it started operation in 2005. The future of the site is part of an ongoing study to consider whether it may be required for an alternative Defence purpose. Should that not be the case it will be placed on the open market at which time discussions would take place with relevant stakeholders, including the Local Authority and Partners Across Government, to seek the best possible future use of the site. It is too early to say what the outcome of the current study will be or how future use will impact on continued access to sports facilities, but early market testing identified credible prospective interest from the private education sector.I will write to the hon. Member once a decision on next steps is made.

Saudi Arabia: Military Aid

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the (a) dates on which the 90 Saudi military personnel received Typhoon training at RAF Coningsby in 2019, (b) course curriculum and (c) ranks and roles of those military personnel who received that training.

James Heappey: Please see table below for the various dates and courses on which Saudi military personnel received Typhoon training at RAF Coningsby. It should be noted that the 90 personnel did not all attend the same courses. Course NameStart DateFinish Date   Typhoon OPCONNovember 2018May 2019Typhoon OPCONMarch 2019August 2019Typhoon OPCONSeptember 2019March 2020Typhoon Maintenance Consolidation TrainingJanuary 2019July 2019Typhoon Maintenance Consolidation TrainingJuly 2019December 2019 The roles of personnel being trained is a matter for the Royal Saudi Air Force. Therefore, we do not hold information relating to specific roles. However, the courses are attended by technicians and aircrew. I am withholding the information relating to course curriculum as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice both commercial interests and international relations between the United Kingdom and another State. Additionally, I am withholding the ranks of the personnel under our obligations in relation to the protection of confidentiality when handling a small data set.

Saudi Arabia: Military Aid

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence,  if he will publish the (a) dates on which the 180 Saudi military personnel attended training at the Defence College of Technical Training at RAF Cosford in 2019, (b) course curriculum and (c) ranks and roles of those military personnel who received that training.

James Heappey: Please see the table below for the various dates and courses on which Saudi military personnel received training at the Defence College of Technical Training at RAF Cosford. It should be noted that the 180 personnel did not all attend the same courses. Course NameStart DateFinish Date   Aircraft Mechanical Technician Course Mechanics (M20)November 2017January 2019Aircraft Mechanical Technician Course Mechanics (M21)December 2017February 2019Weapons Technician Course (W13)October 2017February 2019Avionics Technician Course (AV19)January 2018March 2019Aircraft Mechanical Technician Course Mechanics (M22)March 2018April 2019Weapons Technician Course (W14)February 2018May 2019Aircraft Mechanical Technician Course Mechanics (M23)May 2018July 2019Aircraft Mechanical Technician Course Mechanics (M24)August 2018August 2019Avionics Technician Course (AV20)October 2018September 2019Avionics Technician Course (AV21)December 2018November 2019Weapons Technician Course (W15)August 2018December 2019Aircraft Mechanical Technician Course Mechanics (M25)May 2019August 2020Engineer Officer Foundation Course (56)January 2019July 2019Engineer Officer Foundation Course (57)March 2019October 2019 The roles of personnel being trained is a matter for the Royal Saudi Air Force. Therefore, we do not hold information relating to specific roles. However, the courses are attended by technicians. I am withholding the information relating to course curriculum as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice both commercial interests and international relations between the United Kingdom and another State. Additionally, I am withholding the ranks of the personnel under our obligations in relation to the protection of confidentiality when handling a small data set.

Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 26 February 2020, Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, HCWS126, whether it remains his policy that the UK will (a) continue to exceed the NATO target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence and (b) maintain the established strength of all branches of the (i) armed services and (ii) armed forces reservists; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Ben Wallace: Her Majesty's Government will continue to exceed the NATO target of spending 2% of GDP on defence and increase the budget by at least 0.5 above inflation every year. The UK is one of only a handful of nations that meets the 2% target, and we remain the largest European Defence spender in NATO. The Integrated Review will consider all aspects of international policy from defence to diplomacy and development. It is too early to discuss specifics, but I can assure you that this country will maintain the strength of our world class Armed Forces.

Military Aircraft: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the RAF’s Texan T1 trainer aircraft has been cleared to operate over water.

Jeremy Quin: The operation of Texan T1 trainers over water is currently minimised on a temporary basis. This is because as part of the aircraft certification process, the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) deemed that the harness on this particular aircraft could not currently be fitted with a water-activated quick-release mechanism which would be required if a pilot became incapacitated in a sea survival situation. Also, in extreme cold weather survival situations, the life raft would not provide extended thermal protection period for the pilot. The RAF is working as a priority exploring options for a new combination of life raft, harness and life jacket on Texan aircraft, that would enable the review of this restriction.

AWACS: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2020 to Question 67565 on AWACS: Procurement, whether support and maintenance work will be undertaken in the UK unless a licence agreement is concluded with Boeing.

Jeremy Quin: Work is currently underway to define the support requirements for the RAF E-7 Wedgetail fleet. It is too early to provide any further details at this time, but the current intent is for the majority of the work to be undertaken in the UK. The MOD does not require a licence from Boeing for support and maintenance work to be conducted in the UK. Boeing would issue a licence to the relevant sub-contractor for the use of Boeing’s repair and maintenance information.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost is of an F-35 deployment spares package.

Jeremy Quin: There are two types of spares pack available to support the F-35 on deployed operations. The Deployed Spares Pack (DSP) supports land-based deployments and the Afloat Spares Pack (ASP) supports carrier-based operations. The estimated costs are $44 million for the DSP and $50 million for the ASP.

Fleet Solid Support Ships: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of support ships needed for the UK's Carrier Strike Group to achieve Carrier Enabled Power Projection.

Jeremy Quin: The size and composition of a UK Carrier Strike Group will be set by the deployment requirements as determined during operational planning. The associated support ships will deliver food, stores, ordnance and fuel in support of the Carrier Strike Group, facilitating Carrier Enabled Power Projection. Under current plans the inaugural Carrier Strike Group will be supported by a replenishment ship and a tanker.

Veterans: Social Security Benefits

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance the Government has provided to veterans on their disability supplement; and what the Government's policy is on the number of hours veterans can work without losing entitlement to that support.

Johnny Mercer: Veterans UK administer two schemes for those who have been injured, suffered ill health or bereaved as a result of Service. The most recent scheme is the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), which was introduced for personnel whose injury, ill health or death was caused by Service on or after on 6 April 2005 and allows claims to be considered from personnel who are still serving. The older, War Pension Scheme (WPS) is available to ex- Service personnel whose disablement arose as a result of Service before 6 April 2005.Information regarding the schemes is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/free-help-with-compensation-claims-for-injury-in-the-armed-forcesThere is no limit to the number of hours which a veteran can work. Some claimants under the WPS can claim Unemployability Supplement (Unsupp) and claimants are allowed to retain their Unsupp if they carry out therapeutic work which is not detrimental to their health, and provided that this is not for longer than 16 hours a week or does not exceed a set earnings limit. Each individual case is different and as such, is considered on its merits. Information on Therapeutic Work can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/war-pension-scheme-unemployability-supplement-unsupp

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department consulted expert groups, stakeholders and social security recipients on the reintroduction of conditionality and sanctions in the social security system from 1 July 2020.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 06 July 2020



From the 1st July 2020, DWP has started reintroducing the requirement for claimants of UC, NS and Legacy JSA, and NS ESA to accept a claimant commitment as part of any new claim. The reintroduction of the claimant commitment represents a return to business as usual, not a policy change and therefore has not required direct consultation. The operation of these policies are reviewed through consultation with stakeholders on an ongoing basis. Stakeholders were updated and informed by DWP.

Shared Housing: Housing Benefit

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Section 2.20 of Budget 2020, Extending Shared Accommodation Rate (SAR) exemptions, what his Department's definition is of (a) a rough sleeper and (b) victims of domestic abuse and human trafficking with regard to their exemption from the Shared Accommodation Rate.

Will Quince: Currently those aged 25-34 who have spent 3 months in a homeless hostel for the purposes of rehabilitation/re-settlement are exempt from the shared accommodation rate. Following the announcement at the Spring Budget, Government will amend legislation to extend that exemption to those under 25. The definitions for survivors of domestic abuse and human trafficking, with regard to their exemption from the Shared Accommodation Rate, will be set out in future legislation. In developing these exemptions, we will be working with key stakeholders, charities and other Government Departments to ensure they are fit for purpose.

Universal Credit

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to provide financial support to claimants of universal credit who are unable to make home rental payments as a result of the benefit cap.

Mims Davies: Universal Credit claimants can apply for a Discretionary Housing Payments from their local authority if they need additional support to meet housing costs and over £1 billion has been provided to Local Authorities since 2011 to help the most vulnerable claimants. We have provided £180m in Discretionary Housing Payment funding to Local Authorities to support vulnerable claimants with housing costs in the private and social rented sector in England and Wales for 2020/21. This includes an extra £40m as announced last year at the spending round.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much child maintenance was (a) paid and (b) owed in the second quarter of 2020 in (i) Motherwell and Wishaw constituency, (ii) North Lanarkshire, and (iii) Scotland.

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of parents registered with the child maintenance service (a) paid and (b) did not pay maintenance in the second quarter of 2020 in (i) Motherwell and Wishaw constituency, (ii) North Lanarkshire, and (iii) Scotland.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 08 July 2020



Child Maintenance statistics are published quarterly and the latest statistics to March 2020 are available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme Statistics covering the second quarter of 2020 will not be published until September 2020.

Child Maintenance Service: Scotland

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) parents with care and (b) children are registered with the child maintenance service in (i) Motherwell and Wishaw constituency, (ii) North Lanarkshire, and (iii) Scotland.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 08 July 2020



The number of Receiving Parents using the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) and the number of associated children subject to a CMS arrangement, in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency, North Lanarkshire and Scotland in March 2020 are given in the following table: Number of Receiving Parents using the Child Maintenance Service and the number of associated children, March 2020  Receiving ParentsChildren   Scotland36,50052,500North Lanarkshire2,7003,900Motherwell and Wishaw7001,100 Source: Child Maintenance Group administrative dataNotes:These figures do not include cases in which historical child maintenance arrears, originally arranged by the Child Support Agency, have been transferred to the CMS for collection.Counts of children include all children under the age of 20 who are associated with an open child maintenance arrangement. Some of these children, of age 16 or above, may no longer be considered qualifying children for the purposes of calculating the Paying Parent's liability.All figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Universal Credit

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the average (a) phone and (b) broadband costs incurred by universal credit claimants fulfilling their responsibility to spend 35 hours per week seeking employment.

Mims Davies: The Department has no plans to estimate the average phone or broadband costs incurred by claimants fulfilling their responsibilities under the Universal Credit regime. We are committed to supporting the individual needs of claimants, including agreeing realistic and structured steps to encourage them into or towards the labour market taking into the account their personal circumstances and resources.

Carer's Allowance

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing carers' allowance.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government recognises and appreciates the vital role played by unpaid carers now more than ever. In November 2019 there were around 510 carers in the Sheffield Hallam constituency that were receiving Carer’s Allowance (CA) and in 2018/19 we spent approximately £1.7 million on CA there. During the current emergency, we have focussed on ensuring carers do not inadvertently stop receiving CA because of changes to patterns of care. This includes allowing emotional support to count towards the 35 hours of care being provided by the carer as well as relaxing the rules around breaks in care. These changes aim to support carers whose role has, in many cases, become harder due to the need to self-isolate or shield the person they care for.The rate of CA was also increased in early April as part of the annual uprating process. Since 2010, the rate of Carer’s Allowance has increased from £53.90 to £67.25 a week, meaning nearly an additional £700 a year for carers. We continue to support those carers in most need through additional amounts (premiums) in means-tested benefits and have also announced increases to the standard allowance in Universal Credit. Meaning claimants will be up to £1040 better off this financial year, which some carers receiving Universal Credit will benefit from.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to restart face-to-face assessments for claimants for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payment when jobcentres reopen as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Justin Tomlinson: I refer the hon. Member to my Department’s press release of 6th July, on gov.uk, which confirms that face-to-face assessments remain suspended, but under regular review. We will announce any changes to this in due course.

Social Security Benefits

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department’s policy is on length of time to be allocated to benefit claimants for (a) first claimant commitment interviews, (b) work search reviews and (c) work-focused interviews; and whether those time allocations have changed from 1 July 2020.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department’s policy is from 1 July 2020 on applying benefit sanctions for claimants who have been assessed as failing to comply with their claimant commitment.

Mims Davies: From the 1st of July, we will be contacting claimants to introduce a personalised claimant commitment.Claimant commitments must be reasonable for this unprecedented time, reflecting the reality of a person’s local jobs market and personal circumstances to help prepare them for getting back into work. The claimant commitment will take into account local and national public health guidelines.Sanctions are only used when people fail to meet their agreed commitments without good reason – and UC sanction rates have fallen to the lowest rate on record.

Unemployment

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her latest estimate is of the (a) job vacancy rate and (b) unemployment rate in each region and nation of the UK.

Mims Davies: The latest official statistics on vacancies, from the Office for National Statistics, cover the period Mar-May 2020. These statistics estimate the number of UK vacancies at 476,000, or 1.6 vacancies per 100 employee jobs. These statistics can be found here. Estimates of vacancies are not available for each region and nation of the UK. The latest official employment statistics, from the Office for National Statistics, cover the period Feb-Apr 2020. These statistics can be found here.

Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's planned expenditure on staff costs for 2020-21 as listed on page 170 of her Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20, HC 401, published on 30 June 2020, how many (a) full-time equivalent work coaches and (b) other staff her Department plans to employ for the year 2020-21 at (i) August and (ii) December 2020.

Mims Davies: At the time of publication of the Department’s 2019-20 Annual Report and Accounts, projected spending on staff costs (as per the core tables on page 170) was around £3 billion for 2020-21; as per Spending Round 2019. This equates to approximately 68,900 FTE of which around 13,500 are work coaches (as of May 2020). These numbers would have remained relatively static over the year. Since publication of the Annual report and Accounts the Government set out in its Summer Economic Statement, on 8 July, a labour market package that included significant investment to enhance work search support in response to the current pandemic by doubling the number of work coaches before the end of 2020/21 - this equates to an additional 13,500 work coaches to be recruited over the remainder of this financial year. We know that the short term unemployed are more likely to be able to move into work either on their own or with just Jobcentre core support. Given the economic situation, we plan, for a period, to bolster the support provided through Jobcentres by using contracted providers to offer additional help. We will expand the Work and Health Programme and provide a bespoke offer to the more recently unemployed, activating their jobsearch and engagement with the labour market. For other staffing the Department is continually assessing the service being offered to customers. In addition, as part of our monitoring of the impact of Covid-19 on the labour market we will continue to actively keep staff numbers and broader provision under review in order to ensure that we can provide the most effective support to those who have lost work.

Universal Credit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department is providing for universal credit claimants to undertake courses to reskill.

Mims Davies: Evidence suggests that the numbers of people requiring DWP support will increase further over the coming months, particularly as the CJRS winds down. Many of these people will effectively be ‘job ready’ and will not require extensive support from Government to return to work. Our ‘Good Place to Start’ campaign has already gone live, with digital advertising that signposts jobseekers to our job websites. The Department will now go further and will spend £895 million to double the number of work coaches in Jobcentre Plus before the end of the financial year across Great Britain. Work coaches are at the core of our employment offer and this increase will provide more people with the tailored support they need to move into work. We know some people might require additional support to get back into work, and DWP is launching a “Getting Britain Back into Work” package, which builds on and bolsters the existing support offered by our Jobcentre Plus network. The package includes:- Kickstart Scheme – a £2b fund to create hundreds of thousands of high quality 6-month work placements aimed at those aged 16-24 who are on Universal Credit and at risk of long term unemployment.- Expanded Youth Offer – increasing the intensive support offered to those 18-24 in the Intensive Work Search group in Universal Credit. Further support will be available through Youth Hubs with specialist Youth Employment Coaches.- Expansion of the Work and Health Programme – to introduce additional voluntary support for those on benefits in England and Wales that have been unemployed for more than 3 months.- Flexible Support Fund (FSF) – increase the funding for the FSF by £150m to increase the capacity of the Rapid Response Service (RRS), supporting those facing redundancy.- Expanding sector based work academies – increase participation in our sector-based work academy programmes, offering training, work experience and a guaranteed interview. We will establish bespoke opportunities, working with employers and training providers to support claimants to fill job vacancies and pivot into new careers, including in priority sectors such as construction and social care.- Job finding support service – £40 million to fund additional capacity to introduce an online, one-to-one service to help those who have been recently unemployed.Taken together, the package will ensure that we can get Britain back into work quickly.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2020 to Question 65109 on State Retirement Pensions: Females, what time limits apply to claiming previously underpaid state pension in cases where a female pensioner is now deceased.

Guy Opperman: The time limits are set out in The Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987, regulation 30(6)(a), made pursuant to section 5(1)(q) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992. Successive governments have continued this policy.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a minimum maintenance payment for parents with care under the Child Maintenance Service to guarantee a minimum maintenance income.

Mims Davies: There is no plan for any such assessment. The purpose of the Child Maintenance Service is to facilitate the payment of child maintenance between separated parents. No one should use the pandemic as an excuse to avoid their child maintenance payments. Where paying parents experience a change in income, we can review their case and check if the amount paid should change. If it does not, they should continue to make payments. We know the majority of parents take their responsibilities extremely seriously and will do what is needed to ensure their children are supported.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many cases child maintenance was not collectable as a result of a Child Maintenance Service administrative error when a deduction from earnings request was made to the armed forces in each quarter of the last three years.

Mims Davies: The Child Maintenance Service does not record this data as there is no facility on the Child Maintenance System to record instances when a Deduction from Earning Request has been rejected by MoD or where an administrative error occurred. As the information requested is not collated centrally it would require examination of individual cases and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Carers' Benefits: Coronavirus

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a backdated carers allowance payment for individuals in full time education who undertook caring responsibilities whilst staying in their family home during the covid-19 outbreak.

Justin Tomlinson: Carer’s Allowance is a devolved benefit in Scotland, but is being administered temporarily by DWP under an Agency Agreement with the Scottish Government until the replacement Scottish benefit is available. Provision of new benefits under devolved powers, such as the Young Carer Grant, is a matter for the Scottish Government. The UK Government believes that people in full-time education should be supported by the educational maintenance system rather than the benefit system. That is why, as a general principle, full-time students are precluded from entitlement to income-related and income-maintenance benefits administered by DWP.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Defined Contribution pension savers that have not received regulated financial advice had a telephone appointment with the Pension Wise guidance service before accessing their pension benefits in the last 12 months.

Guy Opperman: Data on the number of Defined Contribution (DC) contract-based pots accessed without financial advice, but after taking Pension Wise guidance can be found in Tables 10-13 in FCA’s retirement income market data 2018/19 release: https://www.fca.org.uk/data/retirement-income-market-data. This data is not broken down by appointment type and as it does not include the trust-based DC market, does not cover the entire DC decumulation market. We do not hold data on the proportion of Defined Contribution savers that this represents, as people may have multiple pots and may not seek advice or guidance on each pot. The Money and Pensions Service publish information on the number of Pension Wise appointments delivered by appointment type in their Pension Wise service evaluation report 2018/19: https://moneyandpensionsservice.org.uk/2020/01/24/pension-wise-service-evaluation-2018-19-experiences-and-outcomes-of-customers/

Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether people that are self-isolating (a) before and (b) after elective surgery in line with NHS England guidance will be eligible to claim Statutory Sick Pay if they are unable to work.

Justin Tomlinson: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is available to employees who are too ill to work. Where an employee is unable to work after elective surgery because of sickness or because they are recovering they may be eligible to receive SSP. Where an employee cannot work for 7 or more days’ employers can request medical evidence of their employee’s sickness. This can be in the form of a fit note from their GP or hospital doctor. If an employee cannot work because they have been advised to self-isolate before and/or after elective surgery they should speak to their employer about suitable policies they may have in place such as, the ability to work from home, or the provision of special leave. Where employees have previously been furloughed for a full three-week period prior to 30 June they should speak to their employer about being furloughed for the period they are unable to work if they do not have other suitable policies in place. We are currently discussing with health colleagues whether it is appropriate to extend SSP to those who are required to self-isolate before elective surgery.

Access to Work Programme

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to promote the Access to Work scheme to clinically extremely vulnerable people who are shielding with (a) arthritis and (b) other conditions.

Justin Tomlinson: Disabled people in the clinically extremely vulnerable group who are currently in work can apply to Access to Work for support to overcome barriers they face in the workplace and while working from home, including those resulting from Covid-19. As part of the Access to Work home working support offer, we have introduced various easements to further support those who are shielding and in the clinically extremely vulnerable group, allowing flexibilities while working from home. We are transporting assistive technology from the workplace to the home environment to support home working and, where this is not possible, Access to Work will work with the disabled person and their employer to consider new adjustments to support adaptations to standard equipment. We have also extended timeframes for receiving claims for payments, and started accepting email claim forms and employer/support signatures via email so customers can shield. Access to Work assessments are being carried out through virtual means to further protect customers. To promote the scheme and support offered, we have updated GOV.UK to make clear the latest guidance on the Access to Work programme, including advising of the help available to people during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This has been promoted through Touchbase, DWP’s stakeholder newsletter which goes to around 8000 stakeholders. The department has also produced several animated explainer videos and social media posts on Access to Work which have been posted across a range of social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter. We continue to promote the latest Access to Work guidance through communications to employers, with stakeholders, jobcentres and providers, as well as through content promoted via our existing benefits and labour market campaigns which make use of both paid and no-cost social media channels.

Universal Credit: Terminal Illnesses

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claims for the disability component of universal credit are special rules for terminal illness claims.

Justin Tomlinson: Information about the proportion of UC claimants who declare a Terminal Illness at the start of a claim can only be provided at disproportionate cost because the required information is not all readily available to analysts in a format that would enable them to undertake the analysis and quality assure the figures, to answer this PQ in the timescales.

Universal Credit: Terminal Illnesses

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people making special rules for terminal illness claims for universal credit are (a) unsuccessful and (b) told to apply for universal credit under standard rules.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Data exists in the system that would require matching across a number of data sets, which is a substantial piece of work. The required information is therefore not all readily available to analysts in a format that would enable them to undertake the analysis and quality assure the figures, to answer this PQ in the timescales.

Universal Credit: Terminal Illnesses

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people claiming the universal credit disability component under standard rules have died within six months of making their claim in each year since 2015.

Justin Tomlinson: A breakdown by year could only be provided at disproportionate cost for the same reasons as given in PQs 69500 and 69501.

Social Security Benefits: Terminal Illnesses

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on changing the six months to live rule that her Department uses to determine accessibility to additional support for people who are terminally ill.

Justin Tomlinson: In July 2019, the Secretary of State announced an in-depth evaluation of how the benefits system supports people nearing the end of their life. The evaluation included 3 strands of research:- hearing directly from claimants and charities about their first-hand experiences;- considering international evidence to find out what works in other nations and the support they provide; and- reviewing current DWP performance to better understand how our Special Rules for Terminal Illness process operates and performs. The evaluation remains a priority for the Department. The Department has made good progress and we expect to be able to provide an update on the outcome of the evaluation shortly.

Universal Credit: Hemsworth

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of universal credit there were in Hemsworth consistency in each month since January 2020.

Will Quince: The available information on the number of people on Universal Credit, by Parliamentary Constituency, is published and can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Camping Sites: New Forest

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consultation (a) Forestry England and (b) Camping in the Forest undertook with New Forest District Council before the announcement that 10 campsites in the New Forest would not reopen until Spring 2021; which of those organisations took that decision; what assessment (i) Forestry England, (ii) the New Forest National Park Authority and (iii) his Department made of the potential effect of those closures on (A) the local economy and (B) unauthorised camping on the open forest; what (1) financial and (2) legal sanctions are available to the district council and others to reverse that decision; and whether he plans to take steps to secure the reversal of that decision.

Rebecca Pow: Camping in the Forest is an independent operator of campsites in Great Britain. It is majority owned by the Camping and Caravanning Club. The decision not to open in 2020 was taken by Camping in the Forest. Any engagement or assessment of potential effect of the closures would be a matter for that independent business. Forestry England (FE) is disappointed with this decision and is in dialogue with Camping in the Forest to request that the decision be reconsidered, but the ultimate decision rests with Camping in the Forest. FE is in active discussion with the New Forest National Park Authority and other interested local parties about steps that can be taken to manage unauthorised camping.

Inshore Fishing: Sussex

Andrew Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to approve the Sussex Near Shore Trawling Byelaw proposal approved by the Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority to restrict trawling close to the Sussex shore.

Victoria Prentis: The Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) Near Shore Trawling Byelaw has not yet come to Defra for consideration and therefore no decision has yet been taken as to whether to confirm the byelaw. It is currently going through the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) quality assurance process in accordance with statutory best practice guidance on IFCA byelaws and we understand that the MMO reverted to Sussex IFCA with comments in June. Once the byelaw has been submitted by the MMO to the Secretary of State for a decision as to confirmation, Defra will review the full byelaw package, including the results of the byelaw consultation, in accordance with the statutory guidance.

Office for Environmental Protection: Northern Ireland

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level staffing resource required for the Office for Environmental Protection to undertake its statutory functions in Northern Ireland.

Rebecca Pow: It will be for the Executive and the Assembly to decide whether to extend the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) to cover Northern Ireland. Practical decisions about the operation of the OEP in Northern Ireland such as staffing levels will therefore be made by Northern Ireland Ministers and the OEP itself, if and when the decision to extend the OEP to Northern Ireland has been taken.

Home Office

Home Office: Reviews

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the titles of the reports commissioned by her Department that remain outstanding.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the titles of the reviews that her Department is undertaking.

James Brokenshire: The titles of the reviews that the Department is currently undertaking are:ReviewDate StartedExpected CompletionReview of Cannabis-based products for Medicinal Use in HumansFebruary 2020End of 2020Urgent review of the classification of GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) and GBL (gamma-butyrolactone) and closely related compounds under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the scheduling of both drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001January 2020Autumn 2020Independent review of the statutory multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA). Jointly with Ministry of Justice.January 2020The review has been completed and will be published shortlyReview of the support services provided to Victims of TerrorismThe review has not yet commenced Independent Review of PreventAugust 2019August 2021[1]Roads Policing Review July 2019July 2021Law Commission Review into Hate Crime legislation (jointly commissioned with Ministry of Justice)October 2018 Independent Review of the Border, Immigration and Citizenship System (BICS)August 2019Summer 2020Coercive or Controlling Behaviour Offence – Review of Effectiveness Summer 2019Autumn 2020Review of the overall response to migrant victims of domestic abuse July 2019The evidence gathering phase of the review has been completed. We aim to set out our conclusions before Commons Report stage.Review of Pre-Charge Bail. November 2019Summer 2021Review of the Health Measures at the BorderJune 202029 June 2020Air Weapons ReviewOctober 2017Summer 2020Independent review of Serious and Organised CrimeNovember 2019The review has been completed and the Government is considering its recommendationsRape Review (jointly with Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Office)March 2019 Independent Review of DrugsFebruary 2019Part 1 completed and published 27 February. DHSC commissioned a further (Part 2) drugs review of prevention, treatment and recovery, which is shortly to be launched. [1] The Counter Terrorism and Sentencing Bill which was introduced on 20 May 2020 seeks to remove the current statutory deadline for the completion of the Independent Review of Prevent (August 2020) as set out in the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019.

Home Office: Reviews

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the titles of the reviews that her Department is undertaking.

James Brokenshire: The titles of the reviews that the Department is currently undertaking are:(see attached table)ReviewDate StartedExpected CompletionReview of Cannabis-based products for Medicinal Use in HumansFebruary 2020End of 2020Urgent review of the classification of GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) and GBL (gamma-butyrolactone) and closely related compounds under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the scheduling of both drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001January 2020Autumn 2020Independent review of the statutory multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA). Jointly with Ministry of Justice.January 2020The review has been completed and will be published shortlyReview of the support services provided to Victims of TerrorismThe review has not yet commenced Independent Review of PreventAugust 2019August 2021[1]Roads Policing Review July 2019July 2021Law Commission Review into Hate Crime legislation (jointly commissioned with Ministry of Justice)October 2018 Independent Review of the Border, Immigration and Citizenship System (BICS)August 2019Summer 2020 Coercive or Controlling Behaviour Offence – Review of Effectiveness Summer 2019Autumn 2020Review of the overall response to migrant victims of domestic abuse July 2019The evidence gathering phase of the review has been completed. We aim to set out our conclusions before Commons Report stage.Review of Pre-Charge Bail. November 2019Summer 2021Review of the Health Measures at the BorderJune 202029 June 2020Air Weapons ReviewOctober 2017Summer 2020Independent review of Serious and Organised CrimeNovember 2019The review has been completed and the Government is considering its recommendationsRape Review (jointly with Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Office)March 2019 Independent Review of DrugsFebruary 2019Part 1 completed and published 27 February. DHSC commissioned a further (Part 2) drugs review of prevention, treatment and recovery, which is shortly to be launched. [1] The Counter Terrorism and Sentencing Bill which was introduced on 20 May 2020 seeks to remove the current statutory deadline for the completion of the Independent Review of Prevent (August 2020) as set out in the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. 



Table - PQ 10311
(Word Document, 18.46 KB)

Domestic Abuse: LGBT People

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether statutory agencies have received funding to provide training to increase staff understanding of the experience of domestic abuse for LGBT+ people.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office has provided over £980,000 of funding to specialist LGBT+ organisations for the provision of domestic abuse services between 2016 and 2020. The financial year breakdown spend is as follows:FY 2016-2017 – £120,000FY 2017-2018 – £120,000FY 2018-2019 – £370,000FY 2019-2020 – £370,000 This includes £120,000 of funding each year since 2016 for the National LGBT Domestic Abuse helpline, which provides emotional and practical support for LGBT+ people who are experiencing or have experienced domestic abuse.It also includes £500,000 funding provided to Galop, a specialist LGBT+ domestic abuse service. This funding includes the provision of training and consultancy to deliver knowledge and understanding of the needs and experiences of LGBT+ victims of domestic abuse to statutory organisations that work with victims of domestic abuse.

Police: Biometrics

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of misidentification there have been in relation to facial recognition technology used by (a) the Metropolitan Police and (b) South Wales Police.

Kit Malthouse: The Metropolitan Police Service and South Wales Police publish data about their use of live facial recognition on their websites.

Hate Crime

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) schools and (b) young people have received Stand Up! workshops since her Department's document titled, Action Against Hate: The UK Government’s plan for tackling hate crime – ‘two years on’, was published in October 2018.

Kit Malthouse: In the period between October 2018 and July 2020 ‘Stand Up! Education Against Discrimination’ has told us it has run workshops in 86 schools covering 17,227 young people in 45 Local Authorities. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) provided £160,000 in funding to Stand Up! up until March 2019. Further details can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/748138/Hate_crime_refresh_2018_Actions_updates_FINAL_WEB.PDF

Speed Limits: Cameras

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, where the revenue generated from fixed speed cameras is held.

Kit Malthouse: Revenue generated from fixed speed camera enforcement goes to the Treasury. This income does not accrue to the police or local authority.

Human Trafficking: Coronavirus

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason people in the National Referral Mechanism who are in outreach support have been treated differently from people in that mechanism who are in safe house accommodation during the covid-19 outbreak.

Victoria Atkins: The safety and security of those supported through the modern slavery Victim Care Contract is a top priority for government. Contingency planning has considered, and continues to consider, how essential services and support for all victims of modern slavery can continue throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. All confirmed victims of modern slavery, in both outreach and safe house accommodation, continue to have their recovery needs assessed in order to provide tailored, needs-based support to each individual victim. The Recovery Needs Assessment (RNA) process identifies ongoing recovery needs across the three pillars of Victim Care Contract (VCC) support, for accommodation, financial assistance and support worker contact. This process informs a tailored move-on plan, with the aim of establishing longer-term stability by helping victims to transition out of VCC support and back into a community, as appropriate. Where this is not possible, VCC support will continue to meet the victim’s ongoing recovery needs for as long as there is an identified need for that support.On 6 April, in line with Public Health England guidance, we announced that all individuals accommodated by the VCC would not be required to move on from their Government-funded accommodation for a period of three months. This temporary policy is currently being reviewed.We have also been clear that should any victim in outreach support experience a change in their situation which leaves them destitute and without accommodation, their needs, entitlements and risk factors will be assessed so that they can be provided with the most appropriate safe and secure accommodation during this time.

Places of Worship Security Funding Scheme

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many places of worship in the (a) UK and (b) City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council area have applied for funding under the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme since its introduction; and how much funding has been allocated under that scheme to places of worship in the (a) UK and (b) City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council area.

Kit Malthouse: Data on Places of Worship is collated by geographic region.In the first three years of the scheme (2016-2019), we received 431 applications across England and Wales. For the fourth year of the scheme (2019-2020), we received 531 applications, of which 377 met the minimum requirements for consideration. We have awarded approximately £3.4 million to places of worship across England and Wales.Over the past four years we have received 124 applications from Yorkshire and Humber, and we have allocated £665,524 in funding to that region.

Places of Worship Security Funding Scheme

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding each faith has applied for under the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme since its introduction.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding has been allocated to each faith under the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme since the introduction of that scheme.

Kit Malthouse: In the first three years of the scheme (2016-2019), £800,000 was available each year. In the fourth year (2019-2020) this was doubled to £1.6 million. All faiths, apart from the Jewish faith, are eligible to apply for funding under this scheme. The Jewish community has access to a separate funding scheme.Over the last four years, we have allocated £1,643,732 to mosques, £869,858 to churches, £210,989 to temples, and £676,115 to gurdwaras.

Religious Buildings: Security

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken ensure stakeholder engagement with her Department's consultation entitled, Protecting places of worship consultation, issued on 15 March 2020.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office met with a number of stakeholders representing various faiths and organisations in order to shape and develop the consultation before launch. These included, but were not limited to, the Community Security Trust (CST), Tell MAMA, Church of England and City Sikhs, as well as interfaith organisations including Stregthening Faith Institutions.In addition, the Home Office consulted with other government departments including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department of Education. Key stakeholders were also supplied with an early version of the consultation and the draft was reviewed based on their feedback.

Home Office: Coronavirus

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Procurement Policy Note 04/20: Recovery and Transition from COVID-19, published on 9 June 2020, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of maintaining the provision of contractual relief as a result of covid-19 in line with Procurement Policy Notice 02/20; which (a) companies and (b) work areas will be affected by changes to that contractual relief; and what the timeframe is for proposals to change that contractual relief.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office reviewed the impact of PPN 04/2020 which allows continued consideration of payment and non-payment supplier relief due to impacts of Covid-19 with a focus on exit from any relief as soon as reasonably possible. We continue to work with our suppliers to review all requests for relief. This, combined with relief agreed following the launch of PPN 02/2020, has meant we have seen minimal impact to the key Home Office services which are delivered by our third-party suppliers. To date, under PPN 02/2020 we have implemented relief against their current contractual terms with 5 companies which support services within the Borders, Immigration Citizenship System business area. All of these companies have specific arrangements to end relief arrangements

British National (Overseas): Hong Kong

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish additional information on the bespoke immigration route being developed for British Nationals (Overseas) passport holders from Hong Kong.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a salary threshold will be applied to the bespoke immigration route being developed for British Nationals (Overseas) passport holders from Hong Kong.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the potential number of applicants for the bespoke immigration route being developed for British Nationals (Overseas) passport holders from Hong Kong.

Kevin Foster: As announced by the Foreign Secretary on 1st July, a new bespoke immigration route will allow BN(O)s to apply to come to the UK without the current 6 month limit, granting them 5 years limited leave to remain, with the ability to live and work in the UK without salary thresholds, after which they may apply for settled status and a year later citizenship. This is a special bespoke set of arrangements, developed for the unique circumstances we face and in light of our historic commitment to the people of Hong Kong.The new route will be implemented in the coming months, with further details to be announced in due course on the simple, streamlined application process which will have no quota on numbers

Coronavirus: Females

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing emergency payments to (a) sex workers and (b) women in crisis during the covid-19 outbreak to help protect (i) the health and wellbeing of sex workers and their families and (ii) public health.

Victoria Atkins: We understand that those who are vulnerable and involved in selling sex and women in crisis can face a number of challenges that affect their ability to access services particularly during the Covid-19 outbreak. The Government is providing £76m to charities and organisations throughout the country to support victims of modern slavery, sexual violence and domestic abuse. Of this, the Ministry of Justice is providing £25m to support sexual violence and domestic abuse services through Covid 19 pressures. A further £3m per annum until 2022 will also be invested in the recruitment of more Independent Sexual Violence Advisors across the country. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is providing £10m for safe accommodation services.Healthcare services remain open including general practice, drug and alcohol, and sexual health services. Whilst they have reduced face to face appointments, some services are able to see urgent, priority or vulnerable clients (including sex workers) seeking support where necessary.

Slavery: Victims

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what emergency support has been made available to survivors of modern slavery since the freezing of payment cards by the Financial Conduct Authority on 26 June 2020; what guidance her Department has issued to those people on access to emergency funding; and how many people have accessed additional support since 26 June 2020.

Victoria Atkins: Due to issues relating to the card provider, on 26 June 2020 potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery with access to a payment card through the Adult Victims of Modern Slavery (AVMS) support contract were informed the payment cards were frozen and advised to contact their dedicated support worker if they needed emergency cash payments. All subcontractors of the AVMS support contract were also instructed to assess their service users for those who might have needed urgent payments, so they could be contacted proactively, and provided with support as required. On 30 June 2020, the freeze on the payment cards was lifted and all service users were able to resume using their payment cards.

Visas: Married People

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing visa applications for spouses to be processed without biometrics where visa centres remain closed due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Kevin Foster: All visa applicants are required to attend a visa application centre (VAC) to provide documents and enrol their biometrics, this is a minimum mandated security requirement for all visa national travellers to the UK. Biometrics play a significant role in delivering security and facilitation in the border and immigration system. They enable quick and robust identity assurance and suitability checks on foreign nationals subject to immigration control. As restrictions continue to be lifted by governments around the world, overseas VACs are reopening, enabling applicants to apply for the required visa to travel to the UK.  As centres reopen, details of these will be published on our commercial partner websites. As of 7th July, 133 visa application centres have reopened.

Visas

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa extensions for people in the UK were issued in each of the last five years; and how many of those extensions were subject to the No Recourse to Public Funds condition in each of those years.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for lifting the No Recourse to Public Funds condition have been (a) submitted and (b) granted in each of the last 12 months.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for change of conditions of leave to allow recourse to public funds are currently pending a decision.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time was for applications for change of conditions of leave to allow recourse to public funds since the application form was digitised in April 2020.

Chris Philp: The information you have requested is not currently published by the department.The department has written to the UKSA with regard to this matter. Please see the link below: https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence/response-from-daniel-shaw-to-ed-humpherson-parliamentary-question-response/.We are continuing to investigate whether the administrative data held by the department can provide any meaningful data in future and will write to you to provide an update in due course.

Travel: Coronavirus

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 63563 on travel: coronavirus, what support is available for incoming travellers who cannot afford or do not have  the funds to pay for quarantine accommodation after travelling to the UK.

Kevin Foster: Border Force is able to assist in sourcing accommodation for people requiring a place to quarantine through contractors, at the person’s expense.  In limited circumstances, the Home Office will fund quarantine accommodation should an individual be unable to.

Coronavirus: Quarantine

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for people required to quarantine for 14 days after entering the UK, how many physical checks have been carried out in person on those people at the location in which they were so quarantined; and how many fines have been issued to people for breaching those quarantine rules.

Kit Malthouse: An ad hoc statistical release on ‘Health Measures at the Border’ will be published imminently pending ministerial review.

Proceeds of Crime: Brexit

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to maintain access to the EU network of Asset Recovery Offices to facilitate the tracing of the proceeds of crime after the transition period.

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to maintain access to Europol's FIU.net system for the sharing of financial intelligence under a future relationship with the EU.

James Brokenshire: The safety and security of our citizens is the Government’s top priority. It is in everyone’s interest that we reach an agreement with the European Union that equips operational partners on both sides with the capabilities that help protect citizens and bring criminals to justice. We remain committed to seeking a balanced and reciprocal agreement with the EU that provides for cooperation between the UK and Europol, and delivers fast and effective mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, including asset freezing and confiscation. In keeping with the promotion of practical cooperation between law enforcement and judicial authorities, we will continue working closely with European partners to share financial intelligence and facilitate the tracing of the proceeds of crime in any scenario following the end of the Transition Period.

Church Commissioners

Churches: Coronavirus

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what the timescale is for allowing churches to resume choir singing; and what guidance will be published for churches on resuming choir singing safely during the covid-19 outbreak.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Opinion Polls

Judith Cummins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on (a) opinion polling and (b) focus groups in (i) March, (ii) April, (iii) May and (iv) June 2020.

Julia Lopez: I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQs 62462, 62526 and 62463 on 25 June 2020.

Departmental Responsibilities

Claire Hanna: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the draft (a) list of priority areas and (b) timetable for common frameworks his Department plans to agree with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland.

Claire Hanna: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has for stakeholder engagement on common frameworks

Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office and Departments across Whitehall continue to work closely with their counterparts in the devolved administrations, including the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to ensure common approaches are implemented in a range of areas as we leave the EU. Updates on progress will be made in the usual way.

Department for International Trade

Trade and Agriculture Commission: Public Appointments

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the membership of the Trade and Agriculture Commission will contain representatives from the (a) Welsh Government, (b) Scottish Government and (c) Northern Ireland Executive.

Graham Stuart: The Secretary of State for International Trade signalled her intention to establish a new Trade and Agriculture Commission on 29 June. The Commission will have a fixed term to consider trade policies that Government should adopt to secure opportunities for UK farmers, producers and exporters. The Commission will ensure the sector remains competitive and that animal welfare and environmental standards in food production are not undermined. At the end of its work, the Trade and Agriculture Commission will produce an advisory report which will be presented to Parliament by the Department for International Trade. Details around the Commission’s membership and Terms of Reference are currently being finalised and we will inform Parliament as soon as all these details are confirmed.

Trade Agreements: Brazil

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the effect of the continued destruction of the Amazon on Brazil-UK trading relations.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the effect of the deforestation of the Amazon on Brazil-UK trading relations.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: HM Government is concerned about deforestation in the Amazon and the impact on the climate and biodiversity. My Department is clear that trade does not have to come at the expense of the environment and is committed to upholding Britain’s high environmental standards as part of her sovereign trade policy. HM Government is working with Brazilian counterparts and other interested parties, and has committed £200m through International Climate Finance programmes aimed at tackling deforestation. We will continue to monitor the situation in the Amazon closely and to raise it in our ongoing dialogues with the Government of Brazil.

Trade Agreements: Japan

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether it is her policy to include Gibraltar within the scope of the proposed rollover of the EU's economic partnership agreement with Japan; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: The aim of HM Government is to agree an ambitious and comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) with Japan that builds on the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), and secures additional benefits for British businesses.HM Government will make sure that our new agreements and our future trade policy promote the interests of the whole of the United Kingdom, our Crown Dependencies, and our Overseas Territories – including Gibraltar.My Department is are committed to representing the interests of our Overseas Territories in our international trade agreements and we are working closely with Gibraltar as we progress negotiations.

Trade Agreements: Japan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure that Gibraltar is automatically included in a nfuture trade agreement with Japan.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: The aim of HM Government is to agree an ambitious and comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) with Japan that builds on the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), and secures additional benefits for British businesses. HM Government will make sure that our new agreements and our future trade policy promote the interests of the whole of the United Kingdom, our Crown Dependencies, and our Overseas Territories – including Gibraltar.My Department is are committed to representing the interests of our Overseas Territories in our international trade agreements and we are working closely with Gibraltar as we progress negotiations.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Music: Coronavirus

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will issue a response to the Open Letter to the UK Government published by the Music Venue Trust on 23 June 2020.

Caroline Dinenage: Since the open letter from the Music Venue Trust was published, the Secretary of State has announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of cultural and creative sectors, including live music venues. We are working closely with DCMS’ Arm’s Length Bodies to develop guidance indicating who can apply for the different elements of this funding, and we will publish detailed guidance as soon as possible in July.

Entertainments: Coronavirus

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to announce a timeframe for the reopening of live entertainment venues without the need for social distancing.

Caroline Dinenage: We are committed to reopening creative businesses, including live entertainment venues, in line with the latest Government regulations and advice. The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport recently set out a five stage roadmap that the government will work through to get the performing arts and live entertainment sectors back up and running as soon as possible. The ministerially-chaired Events and Entertainment Working Group was established to support the Secretary of State’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce. It focuses on developing covid-19 secure guidance to enable the safe reopening of the performing arts, music and entertainment sectors.

Sports: Coronavirus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to allow snooker clubs and other indoor sport venues to reopen as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Nigel Huddleston: Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. Snooker clubs have been allowed to open since 4 July, as long as they can follow the COVID-secure guidelines. The Government is committed to reopening other facilities as soon as it is safe to do so, including indoor gyms and sports venues. The Sport Working Group, led by myself, feeds into the Secretary of State’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce and ensures strong sector and expert support for the co-development of guidelines and will help leisure facilities become COVID-secure and re-open as early as possible in July. As with all aspects of the Government’s response to COVID-19, we will be guided by public health considerations to ensure that as restrictions are eased people can return to activity safely.

Museums and Galleries: Coronavirus

Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support is (a) his Department, (b) Arts Council England and (c) other public bodies making available for independent museums during the covid-19 outbreak.

Caroline Dinenage: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis officials and ministers have been in even more regular contact to understand the impact of the pandemic and the measures the Government has taken to fight it. And to understand what support museums and heritage organisations need and how best to get it to them. DCMS arms’ length bodies have created sector specific support. Arts Council England launched a £160 million Emergency Funding Package, the National Lottery Heritage Fund launched the £50 million Heritage Emergency Fund, and Historic England launched a £2 million Emergency Fund. That is over £200 million of emergency support especially for culture and heritage. This emergency short-term funding will help address pressures over the next 3-6 months for those organisations most in immediate need. Furthermore, the Prime Minister has just announced a £1.57 billion investment to protect Britain’s world-class cultural, arts and heritage institutions. The money, which represents the biggest ever one-off investment in UK culture, will provide a lifeline to vital cultural and heritage organisations across the country hit hard by the pandemic. It will help them stay afloat while their doors are closed. The Government has also announced unprecedented support for business and workers, to protect them against the current economic emergency. This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and VAT payment deferrals. We know that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, in particular, has been a lifeline for these sectors. The Chancellor announced further extensions to this scheme, taking it through to October The Government continues to monitor the impact of these and other measures.

Performing Arts: Coronavirus

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the timescales for permitting the return of live arts performances (a) with and (b) without social distancing restrictions as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Caroline Dinenage: The Secretary of State and DCMS are committed to supporting the cultural sector to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, and ensure appropriate support and guidance is provided. To that end, DCMS has established the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and the Entertainment and Events working group which will be focusing on ensuring that COVID-19 secure guidelines are developed in line with the phasing ambitions and public health directions, building on the existing guidance and providing intelligence and sector-specific expert input. The Secretary of State recently announced a five stage roadmap that the Government will work through to get the performing arts sectors back up and running. The first two stages of the plan - rehearsals and training adhering to social distancing, and performances for broadcast only - are already underway in some places, and further decisions on the remainder of the stages will be made in line with expert medical advice and the latest public health guidance.

Dance: Coronavirus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the dance sector on (a) the effect of the covid-19 outbreak and (b) when the sector may be able to reopen.

Caroline Dinenage: The Secretary of State and DCMS are committed to supporting the cultural sector to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, and ensure appropriate support and guidance is provided. To that end, DCMS has established the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and the Entertainment and Events working group which will be focusing on ensuring that COVID-19 secure guidelines are developed in line with the phasing ambitions and public health directions, building on the existing guidance and providing intelligence and sector-specific expert input. These groups specifically include representatives for the dance sector, such as One Dance UK. Full details of the Taskforce can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/news/culture-secretary-announces-cultural-renewal-taskforce, and the Entertainment and Events Working Group can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/cultural-renewal-taskforce-and-supporting-working-groups#entertainment-and-events-members.

Internet: Safety

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of where to report (a) illegal and (b) harmful content online; and what steps he is taking to improve the accuracy of reporting in each of those categories.

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to improve accurate reporting of online harms.

Caroline Dinenage: The government is committed to ensuring all internet users are empowered to report illegal and harmful content. DCMS has published comprehensive guidance on staying safe online, which contains information about reporting harmful content to platforms and charities. Our guidance for parents includes information on reporting harms such as child sexual abuse and cyberbullying. Under the new online harms regulatory framework, companies, where appropriate, will need to have effective and easily accessible mechanisms for users to report harmful and illegal content. We will publish a Government Response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation later this year, setting out further detail about the new regulatory requirements. Online harms legislation will be ready in this session. We are also developing an online media literacy strategy, to equip all users with the skills to critically appraise information and take steps to keep themselves and others safe online. This will be published later this year.

UK Safer Internet Centre

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to allocate funding to the UK Safer Internet Centre to provide UK Safer Internet Day in 2021 and beyond.

Caroline Dinenage: The government recognises the work the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) delivers on online safety. UKSIC currently receives funding from European Commission’s Connecting Europe Facility programme. Officials regularly engage with the Centre, including on its funding position following the UK’s exit from the EU.

Leisure: Coronavirus

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing sector-specific support for cultural and leisure facilities unable to open during the covid-19 outbreak.

Caroline Dinenage: On 5 July, DCMS announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of sectors, including performing arts and theatres, museums and galleries, heritage sites, live music venues and independent cinema. We want this package to support organisations across the cultural, heritage and creative sectors, and will publish further detailed guidance as soon as possible in July. The income scheme announced on Thursday 2 July by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, aims to support local authorities who have incurred irrecoverable loss of income from sales, fees and charge which they had reasonably budgeted for. Further guidance will follow on the principle of the scheme.

Music: Coronavirus

Mhairi Black: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to allocate financial support to the music industry to help recovery from the effects of the covid-19 outbreak.

Caroline Dinenage: On Sunday 5 July 2020, the Secretary of State announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of cultural and creative sectors, including music. We are working closely with DCMS’ Arm’s Length Bodies to develop guidance indicating who can apply for the different elements of this funding, and we will publish detailed guidance as soon as possible in July.

Circuses: Coronavirus

Jane Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to allow the reopening of circuses and travelling shows as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government has announced a £1.57 billion package to support the cultural and creative sectors as we take steps towards audiences returning to live performances. We have also developed a five-stage roadmap which provides a clear pathway back for the sector. The next stage of the roadmap will be performances outdoors with social distancing. DCMS is working closely with the sector and medical experts on our phased approach.

Arts and Culture: Coronavirus

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support his Department has provided to the culture and arts sector in (a) Tameside, (b) Stockport and (c) Greater Manchester during the covid-19 outbreak.

Caroline Dinenage: To support the sustainability of the culture and arts sector during the covid-19 outbreak, DCMS has worked closely with Arts Council England (ACE) to provide a tailored package of financial support. In March, ACE announced a £160m emergency response package to complement the financial measures already announced by the Government and to ensure immediate resilience of this vital sector. This includes £20 million of financial support for individuals and £140 million of support for organisations, so they can better sustain themselves, and their work, in the coming months. To date over 9000 individuals and organisations across the country have been successful in applying for this support. Over £9 million of ACE emergency response funds were awarded to 53 ACE National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) in the North of England, and over £14 million has been awarded in the region in the first two rounds of ACE’s emergency response funds for individuals and non-NPO organisations. On 5 July, DCMS also announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of sectors, including performing arts and theatres, museums and galleries, heritage sites, live music venues and independent cinema.

Theatres: Tax Allowances

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to increase the rate of Theatre Tax Relief.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will discuss with the Chancellor of the Exchequer the potential merits of extending eligibility to Theatre Tax Relief to live music venues.

Caroline Dinenage: The Secretary of State and DCMS are committed to supporting the cultural sector through this challenging time and we recognise how severely theatres, theatre companies and live music venues have been hit by COVID-19. The Government is supporting these sectors through unprecedented financial measures, including business rate reliefs, the Job Retention Scheme, Self-Employed Income Support Scheme and the world-leading £1.57 billion support package for culture. DCMS has also worked closely with its arm’s-length bodies to deliver tailored support packages at speed, including the £160m Emergency Funding Package announced by Arts Council England, made possible by Government funding. In 2018-19, £78 million of theatre tax relief was paid out relating to 3,380 productions, of which 950 were touring and 2,430 were non-touring. Since Theatre tax relief was introduced in September 2014, £208 million has been paid out relating to 8,395 productions. HM Treasury keeps all tax reliefs under review and DCMS continues to engage with these sectors extensively to best understand the challenges they face and consider the additional measures that may be needed to support the long-term recovery of these sectors.

Theatres: Coronavirus

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the announcement entitled, £1.57 billion investment to protect Britain’s world-class cultural, arts and heritage institutions, published on 5 July 2020, whether local authorities will be able to bid for that funding to help support the continued viability of municipal theatres; and if will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: On 5 July, DCMS announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of sectors, including performing arts and theatres, museums and galleries, heritage sites, live music venues and independent cinema. We want this package to support organisations across the cultural, heritage and creative sectors, although there will be robust criteria about which individual organisations receive support. We are working closely with the DCMS ALBs to develop guidance indicating who can apply for the different elements of this funding, and we will publish detailed guidance as soon as possible in July.

Broadband: Standards

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the report entitled, UK’s internet use surges to record levels, published by Ofcom on 24 June 2020, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the broadband universal service obligation requirement of latency sufficient for (a) voice calls only and (b) voice and video calls.

Matt Warman: The Electronic Communications (Universal Service) (Broadband) Order 2018 already stipulates that Universal Service Providers must provide a broadband connection which is ‘capable of allowing the end-user to make and receive voice calls over the connection effectively’. The speed and technical requirements of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) were set on the advice of Ofcom based on the broadband requirements of a typical household, including both voice and video calls. The USO acts as a digital safety net for households unable to access a broadband service that meets these requirements at present. Section 72A of the Digital Economy Act 2017 includes a requirement for the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to give a direction to Ofcom to review the broadband USO when at least 75% of premises in the UK subscribe to a broadband service that provides a download speed of at least 30Mbps.

Radio Frequencies: Licensing

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons Ofcom is responsible for the inclusion of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection Guidelines in its wireless telephony licences; and what discussions Ofcom has had with the Health and Safety Executive on those guidelines.

Matt Warman: Public Health England (PHE) independently advises the government on public health matters. PHE has been clear that exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) is not new and that research on the topic anticipates no negative effects on public health. Central to PHE’s advice are the guidelines published by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The ICNIRP is formally recognised by the World Health Organisation and its guidelines underpin health protection policies at UK and European levels. Ofcom is the authority responsible for authorising spectrum use, and recognises that people have health concerns relating to the impact of EMF emissions. Ofcom has expertise in measuring EMF emissions and currently has the power under Section 9ZA(1) of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 to impose licence conditions to protect the public from EMF and legal powers to hold spectrum users to account if issues are identified. Compliance with the ICNIRP Guidelines is already built into the mobile network operators’ Code of Best Practice on Mobile Network Development, and the operators must provide certificates confirming their compliance when applying for planning permission. On 21 February 2020, Ofcom issued a consultation on “Proposed measures to require compliance with international guidelines for limiting exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF)”. This consultation proposes to introduce a new condition in spectrum licences that will require licensees to ensure that EMF emissions from radio equipment complies with the relevant levels for general public exposure from the ICNIRP guidelines. This would ensure that Ofcom is in a position to take enforcement action in the event of non-compliance with the ICNIRP guidelines. Ofcom has not held discussions with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). HSE has responsibilities in relation to occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields, whereas Ofcom’s proposals relate to general public exposure to EMF. As noted above, PHE is the relevant health authority which leads on public health matters related to EMF emissions and Ofcom have discussed their proposals with PHE.

Entertainments and Music: Coronavirus

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what engagement he is having with the entertainment and music industry and their relevant trade bodies with respect to establishing safe working practices so that entertainment venues in Blackpool can safely reopen as soon as possible.  what discussions he has had with representatives from the (a) entertainment and live music sector and (b) associsated trade bodies in relation to establishing safe working practices to ensure that those venues in (i) England and (ii) Blackpool can reopen safely as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Caroline Dinenage: We are committed to reopening creative businesses, including live entertainment and music venues, in Blackpool and across the UK in line with the latest Government regulations and advice. The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport recently set out a five stage roadmap that the government will work through to get the performing arts and live entertainment sectors back up and running as soon as possible. The ministerially-chaired Events and Entertainment Working Group was established to support the Secretary of State’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce. It focuses on developing covid-19 secure guidance to enable the safe reopening of the performing arts, music and entertainment sectors. Members of the Working Group include the Association of Circus Proprietors, the Music Venue Trust and the Theatres Trust.

Broadband

Mr Gagan Mohindra: What steps his Department is taking to expand the availability of gigabit-capable broadband throughout the UK.

Matt Warman: We are investing £5 billion to ensure gigabit-capable broadband is delivered for residents in those hardest to reach parts of the country. Alongside this £5 billion, we are also removing barriers to make it quicker, easier and cheaper to deploy new gigabit-capable broadband networks across the country. For example, we have introduced legislation to make it easier for operators to deploy broadband in blocks of flats and will be legislating to mandate gigabit connectivity in new homes.

Gyms and Personal Care Services: Coronavirus

Antony Higginbotham: What steps his Department is taking to help gyms, health spas and similar businesses to reopen safely as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Nigel Huddleston: We are committed to reopening facilities as soon as it is safe to do so including indoor gyms and health spas. BEIS published guidance on 23 June to help spas prepare for reopening. The Government is also in discussions with representatives from the sport and physical activity sector about the steps required to reopen these facilities, hopefully from mid-July.As with all aspects of the Government’s response to Covid-19, we will be guided by science to ensure that as restrictions are eased people can return to these facilities safely.

*No heading*

Gill Furniss: What assessment he made of the potential merits of enabling theatres to reopen with social distancing measures on the same date as cinemas.

Caroline Dinenage: Cinemas were able to reopen on the 4th of July thanks to the guidance that was recently published. We also recently published a 5-stage roadmap for reopening performing art venues - which are currently allowed to rehearse and broadcast shows without an audience. We hope to move to stage 3 which will allow for outdoor performances, and stage 4, indoors with social distancing soon.

Prime Minister

SG First Minister

Jamie Stone: To ask the Prime Minister, on what date he has held discussions with the First Minister of Scotland; and if he will publish the minutes of discussions between his Office and First Minister's Office from 24 March to 6 July 2020.

Boris Johnson: I last spoke to the First Minister of Scotland on 26 June. My Rt Hon Friends the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have had multiple discussions with the First Minister about Covid-19 and other matters.

Women and Equalities

Equality Act 2010

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to Answer of 3 June 2020 to Question 46100, what the timescale is for her Department to quantify the additional costs that may be incurred by local authorities.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2020 to Question 46100, whether section 36 of the Equalities Act 2010 can commence for private companies before any assessment of local authority costs is made.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2020 to Question 46100 on Equality Act 2010, what the timeframe is for identifying the additional costs that local authorities may incur.

Kemi Badenoch: Section 36 of the Equality Act cannot commence for private companies before an assessment of local authority costs is made. This is because Section 36 applies to all types of landlords; commencement of Section 36 may require local authorities to meet additional costs regardless of the type of landlord. Departments continue to engage on quantifying additional costs.

Discrimination: Age

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to tackle age discrimination.

Kemi Badenoch: The Equality Act 2010 provides protection for adults against direct and indirect age discrimination in employment, the provision of goods, services, public functions and in private clubs. The 2010 Act makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against an employee or a job applicant because of their actual or perceived age or the age of someone they are associated with. Similar rules apply to service providers.A person who believes that they have experienced discrimination because of age may take their case to an employment tribunal or a County Court (Sherriff’s Court in Scotland) in non-employment cases. The Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), the helpline for anyone who believes that they have been discriminated against in the provision of goods, services and public functions, can provide free bespoke advice and in-depth support. The EASS can be contacted via its website - www.equalityadvisoryservice.com, by telephone on 0808 800 0082, or by text phone on 0808 800 0084. Acas can assist in relation to employment discrimination issues, their number is 0800 464 0979.The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) also deals with discrimination complaints relating to employment. Acas provides authoritative and impartial advice free to employees or employers via their website (http://www.acas.org.uk) and telephone helpline 0300 123 1190 or text relay service 18001 0300 123 1190. Acas also provides employees and employers with Early Conciliation to help them resolve/settle their workplace dispute without going to court.

Equal Pay: Ethnic Groups

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to her oral contribution of 17 June 2020, Official Report, column 794, when she plans to write to the hon. Member for Battersea on the Government's response to the consultation on ethnicity pay reporting.

Kemi Badenoch: I am pleased to confirm that my letter to the Honourable Member for Battersea on ethnicity pay reporting was dispatched on 2 July.